#Definition Essay Topics

[puttingwingsonwords]

I do think the ‘comedy’ of Dracula in this part of the story only adds to the horror. Like we can all go ‘haha lizard fashion’ because it is ridiculous, he’s crawling barefoot on that wall like 🦎

But also fucking imagine a whole ass man skittering down a wall like that, the fact that his cloak is billowing like wings means he must be going fast too bc otherwise it would just fall over his head. (Or idk maybe he is using magic powers to make his cloak look cooler who knows.)

And it’s in his pretending to have servants too, I know, my most popular post rn is calling him a loser for it which he is!! He’s probably really embarrassed about it too bc it’s demeaning for a boyar to do those chores!

But Jonathan doesn’t have the luxury of laughing at this stuff.

One thing that really caught my attention this time is the uncanny valley of it all. From the moment Jonathan meets the Count, he can tell something is off. No matter how thickly he puts on the charm, Dracula can’t hide the fact that he’s not human; he’s something else, a ‘creature in the semblance of a man’, there’s something innately off-putting about his presence. His eyes, his teeth, his hands, his smell: he has the aura of a predator and Jonathan, his prey, can feel it.

From Jonathan’s point of view, every hilarious weird thing the Count does is another sign of him being Not Human, as well as the fact that he’s in total control—as his ruse of normality is slowly falling apart, but there’s still nothing Jonathan can do. The mask is slipping, the Count is revealing his true nature—whether accidentally or on purpose—and Jonathan can only watch and keep pretending in the hope that it will prolong his life.

[justanothergeek77]

So I have thoughts on how the gods are portrayed in the PJO show so far.

I saw a post arguing that the show should've put more effort into displaying the gods' power, the way they did in the book, but I actually disagree. I really like the way that the show portrays the gods as so obviously human: as real, flawed beings, who don't feel above the world at all. Sure, they are still gods, and we know that and know to respect them, but the thing is that the reality of who the gods are is very different from how everyone thinks of them, and that disconnect ties directly into the main themes of the show.

Every time Percy hears something about the gods from an outside source, being another Demigod, Chiron, Grover, etc., the gods are placed on a pedestal. You have to burn offerings to get their attention, you have to fight for glory to earn their respect; the gods are viewed as fundamentally separate from humans and demigods, and that separation makes it seem like their behavior is okay, because they're gods. All the ways that they hurt their kids are excused by that one little fact: of course not every kid gets claimed, their parents are busy with Godly Things. Of course you have to burn offerings and fight for glory. Of course your parent won't talk to you unless you earn it, they're a God.

Then we actually meet some gods, and realize they aren't all that different from humans after all.

Mr. D is just some guy who's perpetually hungover and likes to gamble. Sure, he's a god, but he's also an asshole who refuses to remember Percy's name and pretends to be his dad just to convince Percy to get him a drink. He's a dick, as the name implies, and no less of one for the fact that he's a god. and he's protected from scrutiny by that fact; Chiron mitigates the damage Mr. D does by misleading Percy, but doesn't dare to reprimand him for it, despite clearly having more practical power over the camp than he does. Percy, on the other hand, is impertinent: he sees Mr. D for who he is, beyond godhood.

Hermes, for all that we barely see any of him, is just doing the job of a postal worker, and dealing with the mundane things that come his way because of it. He can take a joke, even if his family clearly can't; hopefully we'll see more of him soon. Like Mr. D, he hardly feels like a god at all.

Then there's Ares. He's exactly what he appears to be, for once: an asshole biker dude who starts fights on twitter for fun and makes children do his dirty work. He tries to manipulate them, but isn't very good at it, given that Grover outsmarts him. He may be the god of war, but Annabeth still mouths off to him, entirely unafraid after everything else they've faced; she's rapidly losing the respect for the gods that she once had.

Hephaestus, we don't see much of, but he seems rather ordinary too. Unlike the other gods, he's capable of reason, listening to Annabeth's pleas and agreeing with her point that it isn't supposed to be this way.

And that's the crux of the matter, really. if the gods were really Gods, if they were powerful and elevated and separate from humanity, there would be no changing them. But if they aren't these perfect beings that people have built up in their heads, then there is no excuse for the way they've acted. If they're just people, albeit powerful people, then they need to take responsibility for their actions: for their kids, for the harm they do on Earth, for this system of glory and injustice that they've perpetuated for millennia.

The PJO show isn't straying from the book, or changing the gods' portrayals just for the sake of it. It's leaning into themes that don't appear solidly until later in the series right from the start, and allowing them more time to be deeply established for a better payoff later.

I also wanted to mention two more things, but they didn't really fit anywhere earlier: Poseidon and Athena. Both of them haven't appeared onscreen yet, only influencing the plot through remote actions. Athena's actions have reinforced the distant, elevated version of her that we think of first, as she turns on her own daughter the moment she's slightly embarrassed. We haven't met Athena yet, and so her character is able to maintain that air of distance and mystery, that idea of power that could come crumbling down the moment you look too close. It's also worth noting that Athena's actions here are more of a lack of action: by allowing Echidna and the Chimera to enter her temple, a passive non-action, rather than stopping them to protect Annabeth.

Poseidon, on the other hand, does everything in his power to help Percy short of showing up in person. We may not have met him yet, but his actions speak volumes towards his character: saving Percy from falling to his death, curing the poison, and sending a messenger to reassure him all point to someone who desperately wants to be there for his son, regardless if Percy wants him or not; that's without even considering his actual words, through the messenger, which confirm this notion. It's clear after this encounter that Poseidon does have power, and one cannot forget that he is a god, but he has also dropped all pretense of pretending to be above anyone else. He's a father who loves his son, and he doesn't care about pretending otherwise anymore.

[ouppyjamie]

mentioned this in my royjamie fic but i love learning about the relationship between trauma and BDSM. first important to acknowledge that enjoyment of BDSM is not conditional on trauma and trauma does not cause an interest in BDSM but there has been research into how trauma relates to BDSM

this article in particular was really interesting in looking at how survivors of childhood trauma use BDSM to “heal from, cope with, and transform childhood abuse or adolescent maltreatment”

some of the themes they found were cultural context of healing (using bdsm and therapy to reframe kink and trauma), restructuring self-concept (self-image), liberation through relationship (learning to be valued by intimate others), reclaiming power (setting and maintaining boundaries), and redefining pain (transcending painful memories through masochism)

*this is getting long so jamie / royjamie interpretation under the break*

i think this is super fascinating when looking at jamie since he canonically was abused by his father and seems to engage in kink on-screen (puppy play with keeley, EVERYTHING he has going on with roy)

i know others have probably said this before but i think BDSM and kink would genuinely be very healing for jamie! like kink itself is not a substitute for therapy but it can be helpful in the aforementioned themes

just pulling some more stuff from the article, having safewords is a prime example of having control and it is such an important aspect of safe kink that when someone wants to stop, their wish will be honoured. and we can see with jamie how this is not something he gets with his dad (repeated “don’t speak to me like that” yet his dad doesn’t stop)

also looking at restructuring self-concept, we have jamie specifically acknowledge how much he hated his dad calling him soft and we see his dad calling him a bitch when he tries to set boundaries. i think if jamie were to engage in a BDSM relationship with roy, name calling and degradation would be something they would have to be very careful with but it could also help jamie change his perception of those words and thus himself (like ideal scenario for me is roy calling him soft but in a super fond voice or just praising him in general) i also think feminization would be fun for them and a nice way for jamie to reshape what it means to be soft or girly or “weak”

since BDSM requires a lot of trust, it can allow a person to let go if they feel safe in their partner’s hands. we see jamie really listen to roy when they start their personal training since he knows roy is doing what is best for him (besides almost getting his dick ripped off lol) so i think this would translate well into a kink relationship with jamie as the submissive partner since he trusts roy to take care of him

being able to set boundaries that are respected is also really important, something he doesn’t get from his dad (“i’d rather them not” repeated). being able to set limits that roy respects would let him reclaim a sense of power

repurposing behaviours i think would play into the physical abuse jamie experienced, so being able to “re-enact” that in a sense with someone he trusts could help recontextualize that, especially since these experiences are about centering pleasure which can actually help survivors “salvage their bodies” and view that as a vehicle for pleasure, thus redefining pain

plus, aftercare would definitely fulfill jamie’s desire to be taken care of and pampered

i think engaging in kink and bdsm (specifically masochism, praise, power exchange, bondage, puppy play, and more) with roy would be very therapeutic and also a lot of fun for both of them!!

[macroglossus]

why is it that every time im asked to write an essay and i can pick the topic my mind immediately goes completely and utterly blank

[island-in-the-shadows]

Hi! Fellow Saltburn enthusiast here! I have a question, and I’ve actually already sent it to a couple of accounts who also write extensively about Saltburn. I’d love to hear your views!

Why do you think Oliver didn’t try to kidnap/imprison/blackmail Felix into being with him instead of just jumping to murder? He was clearly capable of manipulation and probably could have found a way to keep an unwilling Felix around if he managed to get away with so many murders? I feel like even in the haze of desperation and panic it sort of should’ve struck him that killing Felix meant a lifetime of misery? It wasn’t exactly a spur of the moment kill, there was some amount of premeditation involved. I was honestly confused at how quickly Oliver made a decision that basically ensured he’d never feel a sliver of happiness ever again. How did he even manage to sleep after, knowing what he had done to Felix? The whole sequence where they look for Felix and eventually find the body is so gut wrenching to me. The music, the foreboding, the cinematography ughhhh.

Thanks for the ask anon! Ok so, I'm going to break this down in sections because there's a few different points to tackle!

Oliver does have the capability of doing horrible things, but I also do not think he's a great planner. He can only think ahead so much. And while I think that he could, arguably, find a way to kidnap Felix or find a way to blackmail him, this is contrary to what I think his goal is. I quote Cheap Trick (though I prefer the Letters to Cleo version): "I want you to want me/I need you to need me/ I'd love you to love me/ I'm beggin' you to beg me." Oliver isn't like the one guy from 365, he wants Felix to cede of his own accord and his own will. Yes, there is a level of emotional manipulation re: the lies about his family. However, I do think that when Oliver says: "I'm still the same person!" he is right. Outside of the way in which he hooked Felix, he would have no reason to be different. Stands to reason, in my opinion, that he is who he is with Felix bar exaggerations and implications of his past.

Let's talk about murder...Oliver only murdered Elspeth. He facilitated the deaths of Felix and Venetia. Murder not only requires intent, it requires certainty beyond a reasonable doubt of direct action. I was raised by lawyers so I view things through that lens. At most, if we were going by American law, which is the one I know, he would arguably fall under the category of voluntary manslaughter. Why? Because he did not directly do an act which led to Felix and Venetia's deaths. Rather, he put the dominos in place and that can be classed as a provocation; he provoked them in a way that led to their deaths. (Note: I am not delulu, I am aware that all of this is wrong. I'm just trying to put it forth from a legal POV.)

When it comes to Felix, he hastily put cocaine in the champagne and I do not think he thought it through way in advance. Secondly, he had the bottle in his hand for large parts of the maze conversation and deciding to give it to Felix was a spur of the moment action. Third, he had no way of knowing whether Felix would drink or not. Fourthly, Felix had ALREADY been doing drugs and you cannot specifically pinpoint, beyond a reasonable doubt, that it was the little bit of cocaine he drank (which, from research, would actually have been less potent and less quick to get into Felix's bloodstream than the lines he snorted) that caused him to OD. Fifthly, I am not entirely convinced that Oliver knew it was going to foolproof kill Felix. The way he wakes up the morning after still has the stink of hope. So, I can't be certain either way if his intent was to kill or to simply cause Felix to OD to the point he was taken to a hospital and then Ollie could Nurse Nightingale the situation.

When it comes to Venetia, Oliver did not tell her to use the razors. He placed the razors on the tub. He did so relatively impulsively (likely, imo in a bit of rage) and at the last minute. He had absolutely no way of knowing whether Venetia would take the razors and he had no way of knowing that she would use them in a deadly way rather than in a way to hurt herself but not kill. Further, from the bit that we get of the crime scene in the bathroom (I did pause it so I kinda memorised), there is no indication in the scene that Oliver was actually the one to use the razors. The scene would look entirely different and his clothes would be soiled or he would have blood on him, etc.

That being said, Oliver's desperation and panic and anxiety regarding the situation with Felix likely led him to the following thought: he would rather exist in a world where Felix ceases to exist, than exist in a world where he is inexorably removed from Felix. Felix was and continues to be Oliver's whole world. He likely thought that he was going to lose Felix either way. But, in Felix dying, he and Felix stay inherently connected. He can leave Saltburn but now he and Felix are forever linked. Elspeth, for example, automatically associates Oliver with Felix. It's why Oliver knew he had an in with her all those years later. Further, and I think I wrote this elsewhere, Felix's headstone will ALWAYS have Felix's date of birth, and the date of Oliver's 20th birthday. They are linked in this way as well.

I think it was all very rushed and confused when he did any of it. I think there might've been a chance for him and Felix even in the sense of friendship. But Oliver reacted emotionally and impulsively. He didn't plan putting the cocaine in the bottle probably until a couple of minutes before he did it. He didn't plan the thing with Venetia. He didn't plan getting Saltburn from the start. The only thing he planned and orchestrated was a Romcom style meet-cute. That was it. The rest he made up as he went along from noticing all the little details about Felix. But ultimately, above all, this weird little man wanted to be wanted and wanted to be loved by the object of his affection. Forcing the matter with kidnapping and/or blackmail was not going to get him what he truly wanted anymore than Felix's death did.

How does he manage to sleep? Self-medication, certainly. Pretty sure he yo-yo's uppers and downers like crazy. Coke to dance like the lonely mad king he is in the afternoon, Xanny or weed at night to come down and sleep. What's more, Saltburn is an extension of Felix and it, likely, comforts him to be in a place that represents Felix. A place that is haunted by the ghosts of memories he shared with Felix to which we are not privy.

Also, yes. Finding Felix's corpse, the whole scene, is stunning and staggering and heartbreaking. Absolutely stunning film craft involved all the way around.

Sorry for the loooong response, but I am a lawyer's daughter and an English Literature major, so I had to write my mini essay with some level of (certainly biased) evidentiary support.

[juniperhillpatient]

as soon as a horror essayist starts talking about how depicting some horrific topics is just “in poor taste” or “offends people’s sensibilities too much” & thus specific horrific themes of any given nature shouldn’t be addressed in horror well. I lose all interest anyway even if the rest of what the person was saying was interesting

[lesbegays]

sometimes i remember the time that a professor told me my essay was the most interesting and insightful in the class and then i started skipping that class and couldn’t bring myself to turn in any more essays to her and i’m like damn i should go back to therapy and deal with that

[inukag]

Hey Cynthia! This is kind of an ask but mainly a rant because I find this INCREDIBLY annoying, because it's clear these people don't understand the story AT ALL.

I don't think all KogKag shippers are annoying, but I'm surprised that there are so many fans who say that Kagome should've ended up with Koga because Inuyasha was aLWaYS going after Kikyo or that Koga would've TrEAtED her better. I feel like people who say this are just self-inserting onto Kagome. Reason number one: KogKag has little to no substance in canon, with her just humoring him every time he flirts with her. Number two: if they were paying attention, they would know WHY and WHEN Inuyasha went after Kikyo and that for him, there was only Kagome.

TLDR; Do you think people who say "Kagome should've chosen Koga because Inuyasha bad" are self-inserting? I know the anime changes are a huge factor, is that why people say this? I like your analyses so I'd like to know what you think.

Hello! First of all thank you for the love 🥺

(I know I have mutuals & followers who love Koga & Kogkag so warning: this post is very critical of both!)

I’m going to start off by saying “self-inserting” exists in a lot of ships. There’s plenty of people who love Inuyasha and self-insert into Kagome with inukag. That’s not something I have a big issue with, we all have our favorite characters and there’s nothing wrong with self-indulgence. But if we analyze the canon story, I think you definitely need make Kagome OOC in order to ship her Koga. I mean, if canon!Kagome had any interest in him she wouldn't have wasted her time with Inuyasha, lol. I've said this before but the main reason why Kagome loves Inuyasha and not men like Koga and Sesshomaru is because Inuyasha has a good heart. He might have a harsh personality (that he is improving) due to his past trauma but he has never killed & eaten innocent people the way the other two did.

Also, the racism. Kagome's defining personality trait is that she is open and welcoming with everyone. Why would she date Koga who calls people slurs unprovoked? Why would she date Sesshomaru who bullied his half-brother for being mixed? Sure these two somewhat improved their behavior over the course of the series but 1- There's no indication that Koga and his wolves changed their diet. Koga never showed any remorse for his actions and never said he wouldn't do it again. 2- Sesshomaru tolerates/respects a few people by the end of the series but he very much still sees human life as expendable (see his “Who cares?” line when he hears his action could kill everyone in Kaede’s village). That is simply not compatible with Kagome Higurashi. 

The second anon brought up some good points about the misogyny in the fandom, and how male characters like Koga are praised while Kikyo is villainized for less. I constantly see Koga fans criticizing Inuyasha for “being nice to Kikyo despite what she’s done to Kagome” yet these people seemingly have no problems with Kagome being nice to Koga despite what he has done to Inuyasha. I think both Koga and Kikyo have poorly written “redemption arcs”, I think the inukag fandom just talk more about Kikyo/Inukik because Inuyasha did have feelings for Kikyo while Kagome never had any for Koga, so usually it isn’t worth talking about. 

As for Koga being "nicer" to her, I think a lot of it is definitely anime-only. There's that one filler episode where Inuyasha insults Kagome and Koga brings her flowers later (if I remember correctly) which is obviously meant to make Koga look like the better choice. I’ve talked about this a LOT on my blog but Sunrise went out of their way to make sure Inuyasha would almost never be kind and honest with Kagome compared to the manga, and they added a bunch of scenes where he insults her. Honestly with all the things that Sunrise changed I don’t blame anime-only fans for having issues with anime!inukag. Kagome has self-esteem issues because of Inuyasha’s ex (who is her pre-incarnation) and on top of that the boy she loves insults her himself? I know a lot of inukag shippers just see it as a joke, but since Kagome’s self-worth is a real issue in the series I don’t find it particularly funny. But if we’re focusing on the manga, Inuyasha is not mean to her, he’s only rude when he’s angry (calls her ‘bakaa’ or uses ‘temee’). 

Also, what does Koga even do for Kagome beyond giving her superficial compliments? He saved her a few times, which is what Inuyasha does on a daily basis. Koga said Kagome is “pretty” and “has guts”, which in my opinion pales in comparison to what Inuyasha said about Kagome: 

Inuyasha genuinely KNOWS Kagome. She’s his friend. He spends all his time with her. He has seen the best and worst of her. Koga is just a guy who tries to woo her when he bumps into her once in a while. Inuyasha doesn’t compliment her all the time to score points, he says these things when he can tell Kagome is feeling down and truly needs to hear it. 

Koga really is just putting on a front to look good in front of Kagome. The things he says to her are not necessarily true, as Ginta and Hakkaku point out. 

If he did manage to win over Kagome, who’s to say he would keep up this act? Would they work out in a long-term relationship? What does Koga and Kagome have in common? Like I said, he barely knows Kagome. Unlike Inuyasha, who share Kagome’s values, and share a group of friends with her. Inuyasha knows Kagome’s world, her modern friends and her family (and they love him!). Inuyasha has a demon slaying business with Miroku and lives in a human village where Kagome can thrive as a miko. Koga rarely shows respect for what Kagome wants (he claimed her as his mate and spent the entire series touching her & calling her his “mutual lover” without her consent). Even when Kagome was crying in Inuyasha’s arms after he almost died, Koga still said he “refused to give up on her”. Like the second anon said, the guy really just can’t take a hint (until the very end), and as someone who dealt with men like this in real life I think it’s a pretty big red flag.

Inuyasha literally said he owes everything he has in his life to Kagome. That he was born for her. He continuously chose to live with her instead of dying with Kikyo, risked his life to protect her by giving her the fire rat robe, ditched Tessaiga to save her, jumped into the well every 3 days ready to abandon his world for her. The fact that some people think he’s not the biggest Kagome simp out there and think he’s not “worthy” of Kagome is insane to me. 

Inuyasha learned to give Kagome space when she needs to be alone so she can study. He respects her desire to finish school, respects the fact that she loves her world and didn’t pressure her to choose him over it. 

Also people argue that Koga’s redeeming quality is that he cares about his pack and getting revenge for the ones that Naraku killed. Well, funny how he completely gave up on that once he lost his shikon jewel shards uh? Koga is a FULL yokai and he abandoned his vow to avenge his friends as soon as he lost his power boost, meanwhile my boy Inuyasha stays true to his promise to protect Kagome even in his WEAKEST form! 

Rip to Koga but Inuyasha is simply built different 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, the last point is Inuyasha and his feelings for Kikyo. At this point I’m convinced some people watched/read a completely different series than I did. I mean, the other day I saw a Tik Tok that was like “When Inuyasha runs off to kiss Kikyo for the 100th time” like... what? Inuyasha initiated like 3 romantic interactions with Kikyo in the entire time he has known her. One hug when she was first revived to calm her down, one hug when he told her she could call him when she’s in danger, and the final kiss goodbye to put her soul at peace. Inuyasha is NOT a “two-timer” who “keeps going back to his ex”. He’s a 15 years old boy whose first love got brutally murdered, he started to move on and fall in love with someone else then his “ex” was revived as a vengeful revenant and guilt tripped him into thinking he should die with her. He cares for her and refused to let her get killed by her murderer again, but his real desire was to LIVE and move on and be with KAGOME. At this point anyone who doesn’t understand that probably doesn’t have the emotional maturity to understand the story. I’m not saying that Inuyasha handled the situation perfectly, because of course not, the situation is insane and the boy has no social skills from being ostracized his whole life, but the way some people think he’s a bad person for loving more than one person in his life is insane to me. And you know what sucks? Inuyasha can’t win. If he didn’t care about what happens to Kikyo because he has a new girlfriend, people would call him heartless and would criticize him for treating women like objects that can easily be replaced. And that is one of the main reasons why comparing Inuyasha to other men like Koga, Sesshomaru or even Hojo annoys me a lot: Inuyasha did NOT choose to be in the situation he’s in. He did not intend to be with both at the same time (the anime line “why can’t have a both” is NOT canon). 

I think one other issue is people projecting their personal romantic fantasies on the situation. So many people dream of being someone’s “one and only”, of having their partner tell them that they’ve “never felt like this before”, and the fact that Kagome is not the only women Inuyasha ever loved somehow makes his feelings for her less “pure” or less “intense” to them. Which never made any sense to me because 1- Why would you be less “pure” for loving many people in your life? The fact that Inuyasha fell in love & stayed with Kagome despite the fact that his “ex” was revived and wanted him should actually be proof of how much he loves Kagome 2- Kagome IS Inuyasha’s “first” in SO many ways! The first person to make him happy, the first to cry for him and to make him cry, the first to give him a home, the first person he will be intimate with, the first (and only) person he MARRIES. His past feelings for Kikyo does not take away from that. I think the worst is when people argue that Inuyasha “still thinks about Kikyo after her death” like yeah, he’s still fighting Kikyo’s murderer until the last chapter/episode and his guilt got progressively worse as he repeatedly failed to protect Kikyo, remembering her does not mean he’s still in love with her. He can’t exactly wipe out his memories. Some people even argue that he ”shows sign that he loves her” in the bonus epilogue chapter?? Never mind the fact that the epilogue chapter just kind of sucks, Inuyasha didn’t have any reaction when Kikyo was mentioned, he said he didn’t care and he was only worried that Kikyo being mentioned would hurt Kagome’s feelings. 

When both Kagome and Kikyo were gone from his life, who did he miss? Did he go to Kikyo’s grave every 3 days wishing she hadn’t died? Did Inuyasha ever think about using the shikon jewel or Tenseiga to bring her back properly so he could be with her? No he never did, because Kagome is the one he was born for and the one he wanted to spend his life with, not Kikyo. 

Tl;dr: From what I’ve seen the popularity of kogkag seems to be from people who just like Koga better than Inuyasha and are willing to ignore (or they don’t remember) all the atrocities he committed because they find him hotter and more “charming”, which is fine to me until people actually claim that Kagome should have been with Koga in canon. People who say that are usually just mad about the love triangle because 1- they only watched the anime and haven’t read the manga (and they also misremember the anime) 2- they idealize this idea of being someone’s “first and only love” and they think Inuyasha’s feelings for Kikyo “tarnish” that and 3- they usually lack the emotional maturity to understand the situation Inuyasha was forced in and don’t realize that Inuyasha did the best he could. Inuyasha is a hanyo who was alone all his life and is just starting to open up and trust others while Koga is a full yokai who never had to struggle in his life, and despite that Inuyasha consistently proved that he is a better person. Just because Koga is loud and straight forward with his advances doesn’t make him more loving than Inuyasha, who actually knows Kagome and is romantic and kind to her when it matters the most. 

[magentagalaxies]

on the note of the last post i reblogged it's so wild how typically i'm not a "watches a long ass video essay in one sitting person" (if it's over 30 minutes then chances are i watch it in pieces especially if it's in multiple chapters) but between f.d. signifier's kendrick vs drake video and biz barclay's v.c. andrews video essay i have watched two different 3+ hour video essays in one sitting so far this month so if you're the type of person who enjoys long video essays on topics you only vaguely know i would high key recommend both they were such a good time

[shigussy]

the amount of pedo youtubers i watched growing up was insane but its actually really worrying that i had crushes on most of them and im so so thankful that my interest in most of them disappeared before they got exposed bc i would've lost my mind which did happen once with miniladd

[age-of-moonknight]

How would you break down the alters' personalities?

Oooooh this is a really fun ask to receive! Thank you so much for sending it to me! :D I feel like I need to preface this though that the way each of the alters' personalities (and to a certain extent, their dynamic within the system) is presented fluctuates a bit with individual writers and mediums. Like, currently, I am wrestling with myself over how best to respond to this ask, because there's the part of me that wants to give the most direct possible answer to your question (how /I/ specifically might parse out the alters) and then there's the part of me that wants to take any opportunity I can to discuss the varying ways the guys have been portrayed across the whole expanse of Moon Knight comics. 😅 So I very well might do both???? For now though, I'll stick with the former because,,,,the latter will take considerably more time than I have at this very moment; however, please just let me know if I misinterpreted your ask as I would be MORE than happy to eventually produce something that's a bit more,,,,historical, if you will. Personal Feelings, Sir aka fair warning, this is entirely just my opinion and I tend to pull a lot from the first volume (but with all of the improvements made by later volumes), so please take the ramblings under the cut with a grain of salt.

MARC

Marc is....over all not a very happy man. He's incredibly tactically proficient with an infantryman's razor sharp sardonic wit and if you share a common goal, he's a great ally to have by your side, but...he's seen things that weigh on a soul and done things he's not proud of and you can tell. Like, there's just a certain intensity and hyperawareness that some combat veterans get that you can see in their eyes and I definitely feel like that comes through with Marc. Kinda taciturn, one might even say at times "brusque" (but he might argue "efficient/economical/laconic"), but there are those he genuinely cares for and he's not without a sense of humor. The issue is that he's definitely aware of his own lethal capability and views it not just as a learned skill but as an integral part of who he is, that "there was never anything kind or gentle about [him]" (Moon Knight vol. 9/2021, #5). Oh, and he's got issues with authority as well as an independent streak that could span the Chicago River that have from his time spent in his father's house to the Marine Corps to his mercenary days burned many bridges, so between that and the very real crimes against humanity he's committed, homeboy's got a lot weighing on him. But he's trying his best to be better from here on out and his degree of faith in whether or not he can actually be better may change with the day but he tries nonetheless, making all the difference.

STEVEN

You ever seen, like, a leopard seal hunting? That's how efficiently Steven navigates high society. He has a perfect handle on old money manners and old money charms and knows exactly how to utilize them. I wouldn't say he's "tactical" with the same connotation of martial violence of action that hangs over Marc, but he's definitely analytical. Highly analytical. I want to make it clear that none of the alters are by any stretch of the imagination dumb, but just by the nature of character dynamics, Steven always ends up the Superego even when Marc and Jake take turns being the Id. Whereas Jake is jovial and street smart and Marc was a CIA operative for a reason (even if his heavy guilt and, if you will, angst can still on occasion sneak up on him and take him out), Steven is the numbers guy. He's the one that takes care of the business end of things and sometimes that means being the level-headed one of the bunch as well. Now, I don't want to make Steven sound like a cold fish (or worse, a bit too much of a shark). I would be remiss if I didn't mention that sometimes, particularly in earlier issues, he can come across as a bit of a dandy, perfectly happy enjoying the finer things in life. More importantly, "the finer things in life" include friends and just genuinely positive relationships. He may have a perfectly crafted persona for society functions that includes a very convincing fake laugh, but he's also far more open to loving and being loved than Marc with all of his hang ups could ever possibly be.

JAKE

When Mr. MacKay described Jake as "avuncular" (Moon Knight vol. 9/2021, #14) and a piratical "rascal" (Moon Knight vol. 9/2021, #15) that took me the heck out because, YEAH! While Steven's the perfect party guest, Jake is the life of the party. He's a force of nature and a bit of a whirlwind, the kind of cabbie that can comfortably (both for you and for him) talk your ear off for the entire fare with the thickest Chicagoan accent you've ever had the privilege of hearing. He's a steadfast and steadying support to those he calls friends (of which he has many since he has a tendency to make them where ever he goes), but he's not above settling a matter with his fists if the situation calls for it. He's nothing if not scrappy after all, because hey, the streets of New York where he spends most of his time aren't exactly easy. Similarly, he's also, I don't want to say "a gossip" per say, but he picks up gossip and other bits of intel like a lint trap. He has a wide net of connections, and don't get me wrong, he loves people dearly, but he's very keen when it comes to knowing exactly which people to tap if he needs a certain line of information. He's honest and lovable and an absolute rogue that makes it very hard to remain mad at him, no matter what mischief he might get into.

[oranberrie]

Ah the autistic experience of randomly remembering a situation from your childhood and realizing things

[walking-existential-crisis]

fanfiction is fun to write but essays are even funner

[geodethecrow]

I FINALLY FINISHED THE FUCKING ESSAY!!!

current google doc title (yes I turned it in like this): "hey what if I changed my topic and wrote a whole new essay two weeks after it was due"

[nessvn]

having the most wretched time academically. 4 essays to write in the next week. one of which is technically due today in like 2 hours but alas i have fallen victim to my own procrastination and poor time management and it will be handed in 1-2 days late. at least this prof only docks 3% per day. BH at least they are all short essays so it's not as impossible as it sounds but factoring in the fact that im going to toronto for one night to see the opera + shabbos + im working monday so really the only full days i have to work are tomorrow and sunday. and two of these essays are due friday and saturday respectively. okay so now that i'm writing it out it does sound a little bit impossible

[hazellight11]

Audhd: *needs instructions in order to do assignments*

College professors: write an essay about [topic]. No i will not elaborate just do it.