#I feel mixed emotions when I think about how far it's come. stories are meant to be told & it's cruel to make a tale outlive it's purpose

[riis-reborn]

I have big emotions about Destiny

[indieyuugure]

I know I'm a bit late to comment about this and I don't know if anyone's mentioned it but this scene feels really authentic and like the perfect mix of Rise! Splinter and 2012! Splinter.

He starts of talking in a more harsh tone like 2012! splinter would however once he sees the looks on his son's faces he has a look of realization and softens his tone, suggesting that they just play there video games and says he needs alone time. Which I think would definitely be something Rise splinter would say when he's worried and his turtles wanna do something dangerous against his orders.

And the look on the turtles faces. Especially Leo and Mikey. They all nervous and very uncomfortable at splinters tone and they all show it on their faces. But the differences in their expressions really tells you exactly how they handle being yelled at. They all clearly dislike it but raph is better at hiding it. Not even mentioning the look of horrified realization on splinters face when he sees the turtle's faces.

This also feels very much like a interaction real parents and their children could have with each other.

Sorry for the long message. It's just your take on TMNT is really good and is practically a blend of all my favorite iterations. You convey emotions very well, the character designs are great, and the characters seem like a blend of the best parts of every iteration. Plus the story so far has been great.

I wish you the best of luck as this comic continues, because so far it's definitely one of my favorite TMNT comic series/fan projects ever.

It’s never too late to comment on anything 😂

THANK YOU!! I’m so glad you liked how this scene turned out! I wanted to make it seem like a real parent-child reaction.

The turtles’ reactions are meant to show how Splinter doesn’t yell at them a lot—or at least not often anymore—which is why their faces are a mix of shock, fear, and mild confusion.

I wanted to show too that Splinter didn’t mean for his words to come out so harsh, but the subject of the Foot Clan triggered deep memories and feelings that made him yell. That’s why when he sees his sons’ faces he catches himself and realizes that this is to sensitive of a topic and goes to cool off.

I’m really happy that you are enjoying this comic so far! I’ve been greatly enjoying making it and sharing it with you guys! I hope you continue to love it! :]

[designernishiki]

my friend and I were talking about how disappointing it is that we don’t get any really significant canon interactions between haruka and majima especially while haruka’s still a kid– but then it got me thinking about how they’d interact hypothetically in the present and/or upcoming games with haruka being an adult and all. and like, as much as I still wish there were more canon childhood interactions, I think the way the story has gone its sort of the perfect time period for them to, for one reason or another, find themselves alone together and talk on an adult-to-adult level. Because man do they have shit to talk about.

There’s no two people on earth that have felt more powerful mixed emotions over the years for kiryu, or who have been so diehard in caring about him– moreover, they’d have a strong understanding of one another’s feelings when it comes to kiryu’s hard-headedness and insistence on making choices for them that are, though usually out of love, not their choices, and usually result in him pushing himself further and further away until he’s totally out of grasp. They both love him so, so much and have been hurt so many times by being left behind or pushed away for “their own good” in one way or another, it’d just make sense for them to at some point click and just sorta let it all out like they never really have been able to with anyone else– at least not to such a mutually understanding extent. and all with the simultaneous assumption that, whatever they’ve got resent over when it comes to kiryu and his choices, none of it nullifies that they care deeply for him and by no means think of him as a horrible person– he’s a damaged person who doesn’t quite realize how that damagedness manifests and projects onto others, namely his loved ones.

haruka could probably talk for lengths about how she didn’t really want to be an idol if it meant she couldn’t see her dad anymore, but that decision was basically made for her and changed the course of her life. Or how one time when she was around 14, while daigo was still comatose, he’d taken her up to kamurocho from okinawa and told her they could do whatever she wanted for the evening– and when she called him out and asked if this was because he planned on getting himself killed the next day, he didn’t say no.

majima could talk just as much about all the times he got left behind in kamurocho, mainly with the massive task asked of him to babysit the tojo clan, while kiryu went off to an island somewhere like he may as well have never existed, let alone done a gigantic favor pro bono to allow him to be in such a peaceful state for as long as he was. he wanted to go with him, and to not be that far apart, but kiryu never once picked up on it and all he could do was wallow in the feeling that kiryu didn’t care about him as much as he cared about kiryu.

among many many other examples.

I just think they have a lot to talk about.

[castlebyersafterdark]

Wow, thanks so much for that beautiful take on Will’s attraction to Mike! I love the passion and personal experience you included. 

its definitely true about will being into unconventional beauty, I hadn’t seen that viewpoint articulated before. All the music in the show, and indeed the themes of the show itself - that Jonathan sets in motion through talking about music and outsiders - are reflected in will’s attraction to mike. I think the creators chose Finn as an actor partly for this reason, whether or not the mike and will romance was planned from the off. Mike was meant to be the leader, but he’s still an outcast, and needed outcast traits.

It’s also quite amusing that Finn has ended up being the kind of musician/band guy that Will would have really been into (which is also why I wouldn’t be unhappy if they tried to include these skills in Mike’s character/the s5 story somehow, especially considering music is such a huge part of the show narratively. So far the only hint we’ve seen is the guitar in his bedroom). His appearance is not American Conventional Hot, but he certainly fits the alt camp, which is far from niche (see basically any band musician from the 60s onwards and the legions of people who find them hot). Like you said - Will is into Bowie. He’s into alt. It makes so much sense that he would be into Mike physically. 

You spoke beautifully about how Mike’s height is a physicalisation of his protective instincts too, which I do think would have been a major catalyst in Will’s falling in love. We don’t get to see much of Will’s developing crush in s2, because of his possession, but arguably that is a sort of narrative metaphor for what’s happening (as well as a commentary on his homosexuality overall), and there are plenty of intense moments of Will looking at Mike in s2. It’s there, it’s just not presented as people might expect - but then again Will is quiet, so his attraction is expressed quietly, unless you know what to look for.

And then s4 - I think Will having painted so meticulously really does show that on some level he is very comfortable with his attraction to Mike, and it's just expressing that safely + risking their friendship that is the issue. To me, Will's internalised homophobia isn't a persistent distaste with the male body despite also being attracted to it; it's a frustration with how society views him, and therefore a wish to be 'normal' for an easier life. I think s5 will be feature him coming to revel in being gay - he is already on the way there by acknowledging that loving Mike feels so natural to him and he wouldn't give it up, not even when he's in pain.

Some of my fav moments in s4 are the way he looks at Mike in the van as he unfurls the painting - it’s all in the eyes and hesitance, and it’s just gorgeous and so real for someone like Will. Perhaps the real problem with people not picking up on byler is that realistic shy/introverted romance is so criminally under-portrayed in modern media. And of course what you said about Mike arriving in Lenora - it’s brilliant and hilarious because we have this mix of in love/pissed off + wtf is Mike wearing/Will still can’t take his eyes off him, and I think it speaks so well of how physical attraction often follows emotional. Will might not like Mike’s unconventional features out of context (though I think he does - as said above) but even if he didn’t, the fact that they are MIKE’s makes them desirable. 

A wonderful detail is when Mike comes into Will’s room and sits on his bed - it’s an apology scene, but underneath is this idea that Will would have fantasised for so long about Mike being in his room, on his bed - and now he is, and Will doesn’t quite know what to do with it. 

Thanks for such an insightful take, and for acknowledging the actors in such a mature way. The byler Tumblr police seem to think that isn’t possible, and it’s certainly not common! You express yourself so well. 

I don't have much to add here without repeating myself or parts of your lovely message but yesssssss to everything ❤️❤️❤️ thank you for the kind words and insightful thoughts

[brw]

hello , im the one who asked about avengers 5 .

I meant inc and what did you think about Nadia and Hank finally interacting ?

Thanks for clarifying!

I kind of... It's a complicated one. I've really wanted these two to interact for a while, so maybe I've had really high expectations, but it felt weirdly... eh? Like, Nadia idolised Hank for most of her life. He is the whole reason why she tried so hard to escape from the Red Room–she wanted to see her father, and she was heartbroken when she found out he died before she could have met him. Hank, meanwhile, only ever became a superhero because of Maria's death. That was what made him become a superhero. His wife had died, and he didn't even know she was pregnant.

And because of this, if you were gonna have them meet... I think it should have been in a Nadia book or a Hank book. Not a Janet book, because it's important for Janet to do things that aren't to do with her ex husband or her ex husband's daughter.

The moments themselves were cute, but the pacing was so strange in that issue it was hard to appreciate them, and I don't know how to feel about Hank fucking off into the void with some supervillains. Like, no, Hank is not someone who makes good decisions, I can appreciate that, but he was also someone portrayed as feeling a good deal of responsibility and love towards William, so it feels odd he would seemingly have very little actual interest in getting to know and learn about his daughter. Like even in the short moments they had I didn't feel like they majorly cared about learning about one another. Mark Waid did a better job with the fake Hank in that Nadia and Scott teamup, which had more emotional impact because you felt her emotions far more clearly from her perspective.

I'm genuinely trying not to be overly critical because I think this book ultimately wasn't for me but I do feel frustrated that this is how they met. Not one of the most impactful things to have happened in either of their lives, but in about 3 pages total in a book mostly about badly replicating Noir plots with superheroes and Ultron is there. Like, this should have been an entire issue dedicated to meeting, figuring out what their relationship is going to be, learning about one another proper and not from word of mouth. It shouldn't have been from the perspective of a character Al Ewing fundamentally does not understand and cannot write.

I dunno. I like the moments in a vacuum but as a story I felt let down in a lot of ways and this meeting after coming close to a decade of build up did not stick the landing and felt bizarrely inconsequential. Also, the Hope line mixed with Old Hank put me in far too much mind of MCU Hank for my own liking. Like, yes that's what her name means, but Hank did not know Maria was pregnant so the dialogue is. odd.

[roachliquid]

Was Lovecraft Ableist? An Examination of "Lovecraftian Madness", Part 1: At the Mountains of Madness

Those passingly familiar with the writings of H.P. Lovecraft are probably familiar with some version of these claims:

"Lovecraft was ableist! He wrote all the time about characters being 'driven to madness' by incomprehensible revelations, which is basically like saying you can get mental illness from looking at something scary."

"Actually, Lovecraft wasn't being ableist. He wasn't even thinking of mental illness when he wrote that; he was talking about (emotional distress/alien influences/whatever was happening at the end of Flatland)."

So I decided to do some digging into these claims. I checked out a couple of Lovecraft's stories best known for their association with mental shenanigans: The Call of Cthulhu, known for its titular character's brain-melting impact on several people in the story, and At the Mountains of Madness, which, as one might imagine, uses the word a whole awful lot.

Now first off, I would like to acknowledge that this does not constitute a comprehensive review of Lovecraft's work. However, when it comes to people's understanding of Lovecraft's takes on madness/mental illness/etc., it is these two stories in specific that people tend to think of, alleging scenes from one or the other where characters see Things Man Was Not Meant To See and lose their entire minds about it.

So how accurate are these claims?

Well, before I get into it, I should mention that there are going to be spoilers here. For At the Mountains of Madness in this post, and The Call of Cthulhu later. So if you want to hop off and read them first, now's your chance.

(Be aware, though, that The Call of Cthulhu is one of the most vilely racist and disfigurmisic of Lovecraft's stories. Read at your own discretion.)

So, to start with, I thought I'd look into the claim about "Lovecraftian madness", particularly regarding its alleged meaning within the context of the stories. And to do that, I cracked open At the Mountains of Madness. If you're not familiar with the plot of this book, or need a refresher, it's about members of an Antarctic geology expedition who accidentally discover the remains of a pre-human civilization of large alien sea cucumbers, also known as "Great Old Ones".

(Inb4 "nuu, the Great Old Ones are gods, these were Elder Things!" This is a popular misconception that At the Mountains of Madness does not bear out. It uses both terms interchangeably.)

This story, as you might imagine, uses the word "madness" quite liberally. It appears 20 times throughout the story, mostly in a mix of repeated title drops and the narrator speculating on the cause of a particularly shocking event that occurs midway through the story.

So let's look at the title drops first. The phrase "mountains of madness", or some variation thereof, appears ten different times in the text, disconnected from any allegations of mental illness or bizarre behavior. So what on Earth is the narrator talking about?

Well, here's an explanation in his own words:

Little by little, however, they rose grimly into the western sky; allowing us to distinguish various bare, bleak, blackish summits, and to catch the curious sense of phantasy which they inspired as seen in the reddish antarctic light against the provocative background of iridescent ice-dust clouds. In the whole spectacle there was a persistent, pervasive hint of stupendous secrecy and potential revelation; as if these stark, nightmare spires marked the pylons of a frightful gateway into forbidden spheres of dream, and complex gulfs of remote time, space, and ultra-dimensionality. I could not help feeling that they were evil things—mountains of madness whose farther slopes looked out over some accursed ultimate abyss. That seething, half-luminous cloud-background held ineffable suggestions of a vague, ethereal beyondness far more than terrestrially spatial; and gave appalling reminders of the utter remoteness, separateness, desolation, and aeon-long death of this untrodden and unfathomed austral world.

As we can see from this description, the narrator is having a bit of a reaction to the sight of these mountains. They seem impossible and half-real, in a way that he finds both threatening and almost awe-inspiring, and he suspects that they contain all manner of hidden secrets that he and his team could discover if they probed further.

So initially, the titular madness is just the projection of his own reaction, which he's mistaken for an objective quality - a belief that seems to be borne out when the mountains do, in fact, turn out to be full of weird shit. They're the Mountains of What The Fuck Is Going On Here. The Mountains of Things That Make No Rational Sense.

One might argue that this is still code for mental illness, as the term "madness" is frequently used to imply that nonsensical thoughts stem from a fundamentally damaged mind - but this would be an anachronism, as I learned when researching the history of the term. The neutral usage came first; people didn't really start to use "madness" in that way until well after Lovecraft's time.

(To be fair, the term 'madness' was absolutely used to discredit and pathologize people, especially women and minorities who objected to mistreatment by those with more power - but through a somewhat different lens, as I go into in more detail below.)

This leads us to the second way the word is used, which at first blush does look like a synonym for mental illness:

We had by that time agreed not to transmit anything suggesting madness on the part of Lake’s men, and it surely looked like madness to find six imperfect monstrosities carefully buried upright in nine-foot snow graves…

…the madness of a lone survivor might have conceived the inconceivable—a wild trip across the monstrous mountains and a descent into the unknown primal masonry—

But, because of the aforementioned research, I am now aware that that is not exactly true. This is certainly referring to mental phenomena - specifically, a (speculated) pattern of nonsensical behavior stemming from a state of mental irrationality. However, based on the way 'madness' was used in literature, this was not the same as an accusation of mental illness. It wasn't even an accusation of a specific problem; any number of irrational episodes could be considered madness, from panic attacks to dissociation. It was simply a way of saying that someone was not in their right mind at the moment, which is the narrator's best guess for why a bunch of people would massacre each other but also lovingly bury the valuable research specimens they had unearthed just a day before.

This is the kind of "madness" that was used against vulnerable people - not the concept that they were mentally ill, but accusations that they were simply In No State To Be Rational. It was essentially the same as how "hysteria" is used today. Of course, attributing an event you can't explain to Some Kind Of Hysteria(TM) is still a dick move, but it's not the same as insinuating mental illness.

Now, before I wrap this part up, I want to touch on another common misconception that just bugs me - the idea that a character in the story was just overwhelmingly terrified by what he saw in the mountains, to the point where it drove him mad!!!

The character in question is Danforth, the narrator's companion during the final leg of the story where he explores the ancient ruins. And to an extent, these claims are true, but the circumstances are stripped of context to the point where Danforth looks like a blithering xenophobe, and not a guy who had just suffered a harrowing brush with death and then, while fleeing for his life, accidentally noticed something that made the experience even worse.

Because that's what actually happened. The journey through the ruins is actually mostly free of terror - sure, there's some disparaging commentary about "decadence" on the part of the narrator (being used here as a synonym for degeneracy), but the overall tone is one of fascination. The things they've found are unexplainable and bizarre, but they're also the archaeological find of the millennium, and that is the spirit that the characters approach their exploration in.

So what is it that actually tips Danforth over the edge? Well, if you mind spoilers, here's the part where the post ends for you. Otherwise, read on:

As they are exploring the ruins of the Old Ones' city, the protagonists find their way into a path that leads down into an underground cave system. Having found evidence that the creatures they're tracking has gone into those caves, they follow, eventually tracking down a majority of the creatures who have been slaughtered horribly. Still, they hear the Old Ones' greeting call in the distance - "Tekeli-li!" so they continue deeper into the caves.

It is here they encounter the Shoggoth, either one of the beings that overthrew the Old Ones' enslavement, or one of their descendants. This is the creature they saw in a fresco some time back, messily decapitating their former masters, the same style of execution that the freshly dead Old Ones had suffered. The creature advances on them with unknown intent, and it is around then that the protagonist remembers a fact about Shoggoths:

They are excellent vocal mimics.

The sound the characters were following wasn't a potentially friendly alien at all. It was the thing that killed them.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we look into the other Lovecraft story most commonly pointed to for this topic: The Call of Cthulhu, a story that's notorious for being racist but not so much for what we'll be looking at.

[jq37]

It was a good first episode. There's always some growing pains before they lock down the dynamic, but this was a solid introduction to what's coming down the pipeline. Murph and Emily successfully broke my heart the most. One's marriage is crumbling and the other's just a really traumatized child. Lou and Ally character's are pretty great and seem to have the most plot going on ATM. That voice Lou's doing is such a choice. Zac and Siobhan need more time before we can fully sink our teeth in. PIB is entertaining, but that's all we got so far. And while I'm desperately trying to block out Siobhan's intro, beyond the stressful horror, Rosamund didn't give us a lot character wise. Looking forward to getting stressed out by the rest of the season.

I was a big fan of this first episode! There was a lot of interesting stuff intro'd with all the new PCs (and I really got a sense of like...Once Upon a Time but competent lol). I already went through my thoughts a bit in the recap for the week but here are some more casual thoughts on everyone.

(1) Rosamund: Roz seems to have retained a lot of her princess niceties and demeanor which is honestly impressive considering her entire Situation. I'm wondering if this is going to be a Ruby style arc where she turns jaded eventually or if she's just going be Like This the whole time. A sunshine-y character in a crapsack world is always an interesting contrast. Also, we kind of started and ended with her since Pinocchio was warned that someone was coming for her. I'm curious if the fairy who cursed her is the same fairy that Pinocchio met.

(2) Ger: Brennan does this really cool thing where the end of the world is happening but you're like, "Oh no! This character cheated on this other character!" The human drama stuff feels just as weighty and often more weighty than the life or death stuff. That's how I feel about Ger's whole situation. He's really a dude in need of some serious self-reflection and I'm charmed by how pathetic he is. The issues he's having with his wife are so grounded in reality, even though they involve conversations that start, "Remember who we started dating when I was a frog?" Can't wait to see more of him--and hopefully Elodie at some point too. Where is she Brennan???

(3) Tim: Once again, everything with the Gander is totally messed up. I really hate the idea of accidentally stumbling into a kind of eldritch pact. You're right that there's a very clear plot hook with him and his mission with the book. From the way it was framed, it almost seems like the book has the "correct" or at least more wholesome versions of the tales in it somehow. Or is a gateway to where those versions exist? Because Brennan said it was their town but without the flooding and Jack looked like how he "was meant to be" or something like that. A lot to think about.

(Sidenote: Me and my friend were joking about whether the bad guy this season was going to be capitalism, or the church and my halfway joking answer is capitalism in the form of some version of the Disney Corporation lol.)

(4) Puss: I don't have a lot to say about Puss that I haven't already said in my recap but I love Zac putting his all into his cat mannerisms and I really love this grounded look at what would actually happen after the Puss in Boots story. Looking forward to getting more info.

(5) Red: Yikesssssssssssssssssssss. Emily just went for the jugular right away, huh? As usual, no notes Ms. Axford. I think it's super cool they mixed the Red story and the Big Bad Wolf story. I wonder if/when we're going to get details on how it went down with her grandma because we never got that. I feel like Emily might steal the emotional killshot crown from Siobhan for me this season.

(6) Pinocchio: OK first of all, no one can say Lou doesn't commit to the bit. Second of all, as I said in my recap and at the top in Roz's section, there's clearly something afoot here. Why does Pinocchio’s stepmom want Roz kept safe? And who even is she? My pet theory (based on very little info to be fair) is that she's Cinderella herself somehow but she could very easily be lots of other people (one of the stepsisters is a guess I didn't mention in my recap). Clearly, we're missing a ton of puzzle pieces here so I'm eager to get more. Also, I’m gonna be so mad when Lou is having a super emotional scene and he’s talking Like That. You monster.

One last thing: I'm curious about the timeline here. Since Roz has been asleep for 100 years it seems, how does that slot in with everything else? How long has this plan involving her been in motion. If Sleeping Beauty happened 100 years ago, when did—for instance--the Cinderella story happen (if it happened)?

OK, that’s what I got. Looking forward to the next ep on Wed!

[tenshiharmonia]

So, I went to see the Super Mario movie saturday afternoon and I must say, I had an absolute blast. Don't get me wrong, it was far from perfect. And I'll have to agree that it could have used ten or fifteen more minutes to pace things a little more organically. But really, I had a smile on my face the entire time. As a Bowser fan, the film was an especially exhilarating treat. From enjoying himself at a heavy metal concert, to bashfully trying to woo the princess, writing her an exquisitely awkward love song and rehearsing his proposal with Kamek, to ruthlessly tearing into the hero after they saved the day ruined everything he worked so hard towards, he walked such an astounding line between adorable and intense (also, I'd like to add that he was really, really sexy :3 ). Not that the other characters weren't delightful too, of course. I must admit, I'm actually quite surprised that they chose to address Peach's origins. I mean, even back when the brothers being from Brooklyn was a staple of the series, the incongruity of a (seemingly) human princess leading a nation of mushroom people never really came into question. If a sequel there is, I'd definitely like for that point to be explored a little more... Also, I'm particularly fond of the way the Kongs were integrated into the story. To tell you the truth, I've never really cared for the DK side of the franchise all that much. But really, the visit to the Jungle Kingdom was quite a riot, both in terms of action and worldbuilding. And let’s not forget the sheer insanity of the Koopa General... Really though, that movie was just, so much fun. Bright, colorful, light-hearted, unadulterated fun. Which is not to say that it was without emotions. The brothers' feeling of inadequacy, both expressed in different ways, their tearful reunion, the need to prove themselves to the world and to each other... Truly, fraternal affection is the crux of the film. In fact, family as a whole is an omnipresent theme throughout the story, from Peach's devotion to the Toads, to DK's own issues with his dad. And I'm not even talking about the love that was poured into all the little details. It's already been said a thousand times, but there are so many Easter eggs* hidden in the film, be it in the picture or the score. I've seen the movie being described as a "love letter" to the franchise and its fans, and really, I feel like there is no better way to put it. In a sense, I'd say it's like a puzzle : watching all the different little pieces fall neatly into place is also part of the fun. Sure, it wasn't The Last Wish, but then again, it didn't need to be. In its case - and I insist on the word "case"** -, the world is the plot. And the film executes it spectacularly. Anyway, this accolade is probably long enough (unlike the movie, which could afford to be much longer, if only because what we got was so good already :p ). Still, let me emphasize one last time what a joy it was to see the Mushroom World come alive this way, in such a luminous and bustling manner. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if instead of a sequel, we were to get a whole-ass show, in the vein of the first three cartoons. A mix of slice-of-life and adventure to explore this beautiful version of the Mario universe and everything it has to offer. I think it would be great. With that being said, thank you for listening to my divagations on the matter. As always, it was nice to get those thoughts out of my system. I mean, it was such a wholesome movie ; I needed to share my giddy excitement with the universe. ^_^

* Quite fitting for the season, now that I think about it. Although the film is so rich in references, that I'd almost be tempted to refer to them as "Fabergé eggs". XD ** I know better than anyone how good at storytelling the franchise can be - as recently demonstrated by Sparks of Hope -, so don't take this statement as a generalization it isn't meant to be.

[pumpkinnning]

leo you didn't know what you got yourself into, baby.

for the "know your ficwriter" thingy:

2; 4; 14; 15 & 16 (that's a lot i know, hehe, but i love to hear your thoughts)

ahah joke's on you i love ranting about my writing so thank you so much for humoring me <3

2 : Do you plan each chapter or do you write as you go ? I have an outline for at least a few chapters ahead, in general, with a scene list, but those often end up changing a lot as I actually write. I've never written a story without at least a little bit of an outline though, I don't like writing if I don't know where I am going, I need that flow of energy that the story gives me, if that makes sense

4 : Where do you find inspirations for new ideas ? I don't know, everywhere ? Writer is like one of the basic modes of my brain lmao so whenever any information or experience enters one of my first reactions is like, so how can I use this in a story ? And then it's constantly running scenarios and trying to fuse ideas into each other and I think that's when my stories come together - by making interesting mixes of stuff. Like a recipe or a potion lmao. There are a few big themes that come back constantly - like awe for big scary overwhelming forces of nature, loneliness, trauma, the sacred, the horrors and wonders of having a body, power, freedom, devotion, etc - and then I'm just looking for more specific lenses to explore them through. I honestly think if you're paying attention you can find ideas absolutely anywhere. That said when I'm blocked or my writing feels stale I love reading a good book or watching a cool movie because that regenerates my belief in the power of good storytelling. Or going somewhere I've never been to before.

14: how do you write emotional scenes ? Do you ever feel what the characters feel ? Do you draw from personal experiences ? Tbh for me all scenes are emotional, if there's no emotions it feels dead and there's no point in writing it. And yeah I'm very method with my writing, I need to feel it to be inspired - generally it's an enjoyable process, even for negative stuff it's cathartic. And yes, I draw a lot from personal experiences, not directly but transformed and amplified - writing is in general very therapeutic for me, even though I try to not go too far with that because it doesn't always make for the most interesting stuff to read haha.

15: How do you write smut scenes ? Do you get very visual or detailed ? How important is it to be realistic ? To me smut is a great way to get into the mindset and emotions of characters and peeling back some layers, so that's the most important thing to figure out - although sometimes it's just yeah that would be hot, does it fit the Theme lmfao. In real life it's silly to assign arbitrary meanings to particular acts but in a story it's very interesting to figure out what it symbolizes. I like writing kinky stuff as well because it makes that more explicit. In terms of details - no, not really, because honestly I think if a character's POV gets too fixated on details it means they're probably too in their heads and not really enjoying the experience so it can quickly feel artificial. I think the key is about picking the right details. But also it's just HARD to find words to describe that kind of stuff without sounding corny lmao. As for the realism, hm, as long as you can understand what everybody is doing and there's no weird impossible anatomy going on, I'm not THAT hung up on it, it's meant to be a fantasy anyway - but the best smut does tend to have some realistic moments at least because it's more human and interesting and sexy if it's not just acting out a perfect boring choreography.

16: how many fic ideas are you nurturing right now ? share one of them ? I have a shit ton of ideas but I am trying to be disciplined and not start anything until I have finished sanctuary. (except maybe a few short one shots like my solarpunk wizards AU). All sebchal for now. One I have been thinking about a lot is an absolutely insane multiverse thing with several seemingly unrelated stories that get framed in several different ways - one that happens in a decaying post apocalyptic seaside town ruled by the mob with haunted old hollywood vibes/romeo + juliet/also with illegal car racing and a bad ending ; one where Seb is a cult leader ; one where they're both women in a cyberpunk crap future where Seb is a bounty hunter and Charles is an escort and they end up teaming up against the kingpin that wants to make their lives miserable and then they leave town together ; anyway a few others i'm not sure if i'm ever going to get to it because it would be enormous but it's very fun to think about. also i really want to write a BDSM focused fic at some point. and maaaaaaybe a sanctuary sequel.

[writernopal]

Happy STS! 💜💌 What role does symbolism play in your WIPs, if any? What symbols relate to certain characters, events, or emotions? How do you decide what symbols to use, or what these symbols mean? Are they intentional, or do you notice them after they've appeared in the story? :) - @liv-is

Happy STS, Liv! putting a cut on this one bc you got me storytelling fr lol

What role does symbolism play in your WIPs, if any?

Symbolism is HUGE in AASOAF. You know that meme of sometimes the curtains are just blue bc they are blue? Yeah, that doesn't apply here. Nearly EVERYTHING has a double or multiple meaning and represents something, whether it be an idea, a place, a person, a theme, etc. I just love symbol-heavy stories and little nuances like that. Anytime I spot stuff like that in stories myself it feels like the author is giving me a gold star or a pat on the head so when I started writing I went nuts with that lol. I dream of the day that someone reads it to FILTH and comes knocking at my figurative door about all of those little things.

What symbols relate to certain characters, events, or emotions?

Alright, I'm going to limit myself to one here because of the sheer volume of symbols in the series lol. The "gem" in Mariel's shieldstone is actually a piece of sea glass, cut and polished to look like a diamond. Axtapor was fooled by a civilian on his first pillage into thinking that it was a real diamond so naturally, he guarded it and bragged about it quite a bit. Shortly after, another deckhand pointed out that it wasn't a diamond at all, just sea glass, something plain and mostly worthless. He resolved to keep it to fool some other unsuspecting person in the future and then mostly forgot about it. \

However, when it comes time to make use of it, he gifts it to Mariel, though not to fool her into believing it has any value, but because she doesn't like expensive things and he still wants to give her something pretty. The story of the stone itself symbolizes how Mariel to most, is rather ordinary, nothing special, but to Axtapor is a highly coveted treasure. He's also rather protective of her and often mentions how he is lucky to be with her and is not shy about singing her praises to others. 🥺

How do you decide what symbols to use, or what these symbols mean? Are they intentional, or do you notice them after they've appeared in the story?

Honestly, it's a mixed bag. Sometimes symbols are just objects (Mariel's shieldstone), other times they are foods (like in the case of the Pale Kings imperialism being represented by figs), and sometimes they are stories/anecdotes (Axtapor's Kingdom of Frogs story being akin to the Realm of Dreams IYKYK).

As far as being intentional, most of them are, but there are some that crop up later on that I'm sort of like oh yeah. I totally meant to put that in there LOL.

[your-local-uwu-artist]

alirhgt finished day of the departed!

it was good! I enjoyed it :D I only wish it was longer. thankfully theres this silly little site called archive of our own that I'm sure can fix that for me lmao

my thoughts as per ususal!

... it accidentally got long sooo uhhh

-liked that we got master Yangs whole thing explained, as a character yang felt very simple but in a GOOD way. like in the 'he is an ancient spirit' kinda way. very classic ghost story!

-the scenes of everyone with the lanterns oh my god yeah that made me teary eyed

-Cole's VA did a GREAT job.

-further more I don't think I compliment the composers enough so um yeah score was fantastic as well!!!

-loved Ronin coming in all like 'uh yeah I'm here to save you right totally' there was a lot of great little jokes. Darreth being included was fantastic

-So this is a VERY weird comparison. but fuck it. there's this great juvinile fiction series called 'nathan abercrombie acidental zombie' by 'great' i mean I have a google doc of an anaylsis/essay on it. so yeah. GREAT. I could talk about it for quite a while actually. anyway. I willt ry to not go on too much of a tangent (i will still go off on tangents, of course, just small ones) but essentially the series is about Nathan who due to a sci-fi mix up: is dead. and it REALLY adresses what this means for him. one of the books main plot is about his body starting to decompose. in book one, the death is spreading slowly. theres this FANTASTIC description of him stomping his foot to feel pain, when his foot is the only place he has feeling left. in book one he's almost cured but sacrifices it to save his friend from a fire. in the final book he sacrifices his chance of being a cool super spy so that he can become alive again. what am I getting at here? okay well bassically obviously I read the series for the body horror. and you better believe I wrote aus in my head where he stayed a zombie. but like. gosh how do I explain this. so reading through this series it has a sorta depressing undertone- nathan is more or less a doomed character. like- sure he's made it this far. but he can only pretend to be alive for so long. and you get this impression throughout the series about just how numb nathan is. his nerves are dead and he can't feel pain (with the exception of when he reattaches a part that fell off, in which the nerves come alive for a brief moment of excruciating pain) he can't eat. he doesn't have a heart beat. he can't breath. he can't sleep. and its not just PHYSICHALLY Nathan comes off as VERY emotionally numb as well. like yes he struggles but it's like. like he's like 'huh yeah I guess I'm dead oh well, i did what i had to' but then theres parts where he'll get ANGRY about it and it's just, it's clear his circumstances prevent him from even fully emotionally processing said circumstances. it's CONFIRMED that he doesn't produce ADRENALINE. So It's not far fetched to assume that explains all of this CHILDS extremely watererd down emotions. anyway. the point is while it is super fun to imagine the au where Nathan stays a zombie: the only satisfactory ending was for him to become human again. there's simply too many extremely existential things that the story just isn't meant to adress. (shit like the fact that he's supposed to be on the cusp of puberty and his body won't age. also his body is starting to decompose faster.) anyway. I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that this did feel like a satisfactory end to this character arc. because these are characters that DESERVE a happy ending. both of them are young people that are self sacrificial fucks that only ended up in their sitautions because of that fact. and I think the ending of this special just FELT the same way as the end of that series. leaves me with a lot of themes and ideas to explore that are for me, or rather the greater audience i suppose, to explore. like, the existential shit that having the characters stay dead would force to be adressed? thats for the FANFICTION to adress. which actually makes it better because now I have a fucking gold mine of ideas to explore. if canon explored them for me then there's nothing left for the fanfics to explore!

anyway another coparison would be the ending of the legend of zelda four swords manga, when Link becomes one again. actually thats a VERY good comparison. Link had to become whole again. and now I get to imagine not only the au where he doesn't. but I also get to imagine the ramifications of this event

-anyway! moving on

-i really like that Cole got a scar from it. great way to make sure this isn't just some forgotten throw away event

-I really liked the ending actually, made me feel warm inside

-I liked the Morro redemption. cause well: Morro didn't have a score to settle, his story already concluded. he's cool now

-I really appreciate how classic ghost story Yang's whole thing was.

anyway: the real main take away is that Ima be doing this thing with Cole from now on.

at this rate I think Kai and Nya are the only main characters currently safe from my scrunkle-fication wrath. no way it will stay that way for long tho. Kai has gotten dangerously close into scrunkle-fication territory already. it's really only a matter of time

I made this chart to illustrate my point

at this rate I estimate no un-scrunkled mains will remain by season 8 (and there is a risk of acquiring scrunkle-sides)

I think Kai will probably beat Nya (there are now in a sibling race to who gets scrunkle-ified first or smth)

[gothteethluver]

Strawberries and Cigarettes

Chapter 1: Forelsket

There’s a theory that everything that is folklore or a fairytale was once true. One of the earliest ways of conveying news and storing memories was verbal and through degrees of inaccuracy and distortion of truth, a story was born.

However, at the core of it, it always held truth.

Taehyung said this to Seokjin once, back when their little group was over at Taehyung’s place for the first time and going strawberry picking in a little enclosure that was usually reserved for tourists who frequented the place.

Taehyung and Seokjin were standing side by side looking Jimin and Jungkook guffawing at Namjoon who miraculously managed to break his wicker basket and Yoongi who was carrying a basket after Hoseok who was very careful in finding the perfect, ripened strawberry.

“I think that’s how we created ghosts too. Like a distorted tale of a memory that once was and exists but not in a way a living moment does. Memories you’re desperate to stick to, memories that haunt you. Just like ghosts.”

Taehyung had recently joined their school. His parents had passed away 2 years ago. Initially he stayed with his uncle and aunt so that he could stay in Seoul, but his uncle got a promotion that led him overseas, too far and in a place where Taehyung didn’t know the language, wasn’t willing to learn. And though his uncle and aunt had been lovely to him, he always found his brain straying to his grandparents in the country side, the farms he visited every summer since he was born. To his grandparents who adored him and his parents so much.

So it was a decision everyone was okay with.

Seokjin had only passively noticed Taehyung when he joined their school. A year junior to him, Yoongi, Hoseok and Namjoon, and in the same class as Jimin and Jungkook. Seokjin had initially jotted it down to simply noticing a new person but when he sat down the same day in the class reserved for art students and stayed a little over an hour after school was over just so he could draw the moment he had seen the new kid with the wavy brown hair when the sun had hit him just right, and made a halo around his head, well…

He didn’t want to put a name to what he had felt when he first saw Taehyung.

When Taehyung said that thing about memories, Seokjin had turned to look at him, wondering if the memories Taehyung spoke of haunted him or made him happy. Taehyung looked… There was no name to that particular emotion, a mix of something gentle with sadness, happiness and acceptance and Seokjin decided he would look it up later.

Taehyung’s situation had him coming to the country side around the time the year was ending and Seokjin was a senior, and terribly introverted as all artists are. So he never got to know Taehyung much back then aside from always watching him from afar. Admiring him.

In an artistic perspective of course.

Years later, when he had left the country side to pursue his fully funded scholarship at an art school in USA, Seokjin would tell his first uni friend ever about it at a party where he was drinking. He wouldn’t be completely drunk, just at the pleasant little tipsy moment where his brain would hum and he would get lost staring at cheap fairy lights, catch himself thinking about the new kid on whom sunlight dropped like a beautiful caress and made a halo around his head. His friend was Norwegian and Seokjin told him, about the country side, about the strawberry farms and Taehyung who was new but somehow so cozy.

And his Norwegian friend would tell him that his situation reminded him of a word of ‘ Forelsket ’.

And Seokjin finaly acknowledged something that used to make him feel odd throughout his life and he was still a way from accepting what it meant, but he would eventually.

🫧

It’s 9 years later in June.

Chicago is live with Pride parades and rainbow parties. Seokjin is back at his condo after another successful exhibit. The art he made was based on themes of homosexuality and his first public acknowledgement of his identity.

He had grown famous from his 2nd year in art school, because of his amazing talent and hardwork and a feature that is always a hit with the general public: his looks.

He booked a little gallery in a hole-in-the-wall type location during his 2nd semester for a solo exhibition. He had saved up some money from working as a barista and although he could afford a better gallery in a better location with all the tips he made, he was somehow hesitant. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, so he only gave invites to his friends and a couple of professors who were very invested in him. But within the hour there were about 50 people in the little place and by the time the second hour mark started there were so many people that you could barely catch a glimpse of Seokjin’s work through them.

It was his first success in what was about to be a series of successful exhibitions.

Seokjin had dated a few men after his conversation with his Norwegian friend, Emil. In secrecy always because he wasn’t ready to tell his parents yet and it was always what drew the wedge in his relationships, he had a pretty small share of toxic exes. And his audience had always speculated but since they were given zero affirmation, there was not much to go with. That changed now.

There was already a buzz when the exhibit was announced, smack in the middle of June and Seokjin made sure that the first work anyone would see when they walked in was what obviously looked like two men kissing. It wasn’t heavily detailed, just swishes of paint over the canvas and the kiss part being not painted properly at all. One of them clearly looked like Seokjin and the other was too blurry to figure out but he knew.

And thus he was out in society. All his works sold out, all the money given to LGBTQ charities. He had already had a conversation with his family, they were accepting.

Seokjin sat on his couch, cradling a glass of wine in his hand and stared outside. He had omitted going to any parties today, there was something he was thinking of. A memory that haunted him since 9 years now found itself on the forefront of his mind.

He hadn’t spoken much to his friend group at all past his first year at university. It wasn’t something done on his end only. Namjoon had gone to Japan, he was incredibly bright and pursued a degree in Environmental Science in Tokyo, on scholarship too. Namjoon was always keen about protecting the environment. He minored in marine biology which of course he had to. Whenever they hung out, seafood was the one thing they never ate in a group setting.

Yoongi and Hoseok stayed in Korea, left the country side for Seoul. Yoongi was a famous lyricist for musicians across South Korea and Japan too. Hoseok owned a dance academy and was a sought after choreographer. Both had gone to the same university.

A year after the elders had graduated school, so did Jimin and Jungkook. Jimin went for a degree in dance like Hoseok and was another dance teacher and choreographer at Hoseok’s academy now. Jungkook had been in Japan with Namjoon which was a big comfort to him. Besides Seokjin, it was Yoongi and Jungkook who were a bit more shy in social situations.

Jungkook did his bachelor’s in photography, his success was obvious. Seokjin had heard about him a lot in the art world over the years, he had seen his works in several journals.

Taehyung had taken a gap year. He used to post a lot of sunsets on his socials, some photos of himself and some works of Vincent Van Gogh which always left Seokjin smiling because of course the boy who glowed like sunlight loved Van Gogh.

When Seokjin’s first year in uni wrapped up, conversations in their groupchat were dry and close to the end of his second year, conversation was scarce. He tapped open the groupchat, scrolling up where the last text was, everyone wishing a Happy New Year 5 years ago. He opened the media of the groupchat and felt endeared.

There was a photo of when Jimin and him had lost a dare to Taehyung and had to dye their hair pink. They ran out of dye by the time Jimin was done which had Seokjin cackling in glee. His moment of relief was cut incredibly short when Taehyung dug out purple hair dye instead and made a strange concoction of purple and pink hair dye which Seokjin’s hair was covered in. The photo was taken right after hair dye was applied on their heads and they both looked silly. It looked wonderful on them once their hair dried. Yoongi said it defeated the purpose of a dare which should always be embarrassing, Taehyung was proud.

There was another photo of Namjoon and Jungkook asleep with their mouths agape and Hoseok making peace signs behind them.

The next photo made Seokjin pause. A young Taehyung stared back at him with his bright beautiful smile. It was winter and Taehyung had his hands in his pocket, his nose was pink. Seokjin felt a little ache in his heart, it was crazy how he hadn’t stopped yearning.

When he looked through the list of contacts in the group, Taehyung’s contact showed a default profile icon. There weren’t any new photos on his socials since 6 years ago. Seokjin worried his lip and his brows were furrowed. Taehyung was the least active among them on social media so he never looked into it and no one really told him if anything happened.

The only person he spoke to a little more regularly than the rest was Namjoon and even that was terribly infrequent.

He types out a message to Namjoon and presses send before he can think twice about it.

Seokjin: Hey :)

He exhales and puts his phone down. Namjoon has been working at a company in South Korea. It’s almost 3 AM for Seokjin but for Namjoon it must be around afternoon. His phone vibrates after a minute and it’s Namjoon.

Kim Namjoon: Hey hyung! How are you? Haven’t heard from you in a while.

Kim Seokjin: I’m great, how are you? I wrapped up an exhibit earlier and was thinking about home.

Kim Namjoon: Yeah, I saw. Always wondered a little, you know. Really proud of you. And I know we haven’t spoken in a while but you’re not alone.

Kim Seokjin: You mean you’re gay too?

Kim Namjoon: Close! I’m straight.

Kim Seokjin: That wasn’t close at all. Who else then?

Kim Namjoon: Just making a funny, hyung. Yoongi and Jimin are together. Hoseok and Jungkook have something going on too. Last I heard. Could have progressed since.

Kim Seokjin: you guys kept contact?

Kim Namjoon: Not really. Jungkook and I are really frequent and he fills me in since he sees the rest more often.

Seokjin heart is pounding when he starts typing his next message, there’s an unreasonable stutter in his breath.

Kim Seokjin: and Taehyung?

Kim Namjoon: Taehyung writes under a pseudonym. I’m not aware of what the pseud is though. I guess Jimin will probably know, he goes back to home the most out of all of us. His family shifted to Busan so I’m guessing it’s only to see Taehyung.

That is a surprise. A pleasant one but it’s nice to know Taehyung is out there and doing something nice. Taehyung always said the prettiest things and Seokjin remembered Taehyung paying a lot of attention to the children’s section at a bookstore and going through the illustrated tales. Seokjin wonders if what he writes are children’s fairytales. Taehyung would be perfect for it.

Kim Seokjin: That’s wonderful. He’s not active on his socials so I always wondered.

Kim Namjoon: Of course you did.

Namjoon’s text makes Seokjin raise a brow.

Kim Seokjin: what do you mean?

Kim Namjoon: hyung

You weren’t very subtle about it, you know?

You used to look at him a lot and Jimin told me he saw a sketch of Taehyung in one of your notebooks.

Kim Seokjin: yeah well. I didn’t know what to do about it.

Kim Namjoon: it’s okay. Took everyone sometime to realise about themselves.

Kim Seokjin: I believe you’re taking the most time then.

Kim Namjoon: Haha!

Anyways Taehyung just stopped being active on socials when he got sick

Back when he was taken to the ICU

Kim Seokjin: ICU??? What???

Kim Namjoon: ..

Hyung, you don’t know? Taehyung got meningitis years ago, it was pretty bad.

They thought he wouldn’t make it even.

But he did.

Took a long time to recover completely.

He’s had permanent hearing loss since, they said he’ll stay deaf for the rest of his life. Said it was a miracle he survived to begin with.

Kim Seokjin: fuck. I wish I knew

Kim Namjoon: Same. Even Jimin found out some months after. No one was in contact with Taehyung much and Jimin texted him someday. Everyone met with Taehyung after they found out. Not in a group setting though.

I’m sorry hyung, I thought you knew. Especially since I saw one of your paintings in Taehyung’s home.

Kim Seokjin: Taehyung has one of my paintings?

Kim Namjoon: I feel like I’m saying more things than I should. But yeah, he has several I think. Some of Jungkook’s works too.

The one I saw had strawberries in it, I thought you gave it to him yourself.

Seokjin hadn’t but he remembers that painting well. It was made with Taehyung in mind and the person who bought it had bought it under a strange name. He’d have to ask his agent later.

Taehyung was out there. Beautiful, lovely Taehyung with his beautiful words and conversations about bittersweet things that he managed to convey with warmth. He was a writer and he had some of Seokjin’s works which meant he was successful as a writer. The strawberry painting was made well after he graduated and his name had become a staple in the art world and his works had started getting more expensive.

Taehyung who was clearly adored by the sun itself was out there. Taehyung who almost died and thankfully didn’t. Taehyung who couldn’t hear now. The guilt of only just finding out hit him like a brick. Taehyung had lost his parents young and went through something so painful later on.

His phone vibrates some more but he doesn’t check his texts with Namjoon, instead pulling up airplane tickets for South Korea and then texts his family about his plans. After that he pulls up his agent’s number and texts her about his next exhibit plans. A series of works inspired by his hometown and his life in particular during his teenage years. His guilt about just finding out what happened to Taehyung makes him want to stay confined to his couch but he’s not that coward anymore and he wants to go back home and he wants to spend time with people who’ve always cared for him and encouraged him.

He was going to look for Taehyung. He was long overdue in his responsibilities as a friend. He felt immense shame over not knowing earlier, over not being around when Taehyung was recovering.

There was a lot to pack. He hadn’t told his agent that he would be in South Korea for a year most likely and perhaps longer if things went well but he’d deal with that later.

He put his empty glass away and walked to his balcony to pull out a cigarette and smoke. Outside the sky was turning pale and the world was dipped in a beautiful blue. He should be asleep but he couldn’t now. He opens his chat witn Namjoon and ignores all the texts because there’s a photo of Taehyung. His hair is longer, it’s in a cafe where he’s deeply engrossed in a book. Taehyung’s hair is blonde and he’s just as beautiful as ever. Seokjin wishes he could better read the cover of the book. He wish he had some other lead of what Taehyung was like now. Did he still pause at the kid’s section in bookstores? Does he still have a sun catcher in his room? Does he still avidly discuss things in a perspective that is unique from everyone else around him?

He could go all the way to South Korea to his hometown, to his likely dusty old house and then see Taehyung and this scenario seems more and more likely to end with Taehyung wanting nothing to do with Seokjin. Seokjin refused to wuss out now. If for nothing else, then for his need to do the bare minimum for what a friend should do for his friends. He’d go with that intention. And let the rest play out as it wills.

The expression Taehyung had on his face when he spoke to Seokjin about memories and hauntings. There were several words for it. Sudade in Portuguese, mono no aware in Japanese and mångata in Swedish.

Though he found German to be a very aggressive sounding language, his favourite term for it was German.

Sehnsucht (German) - A word that expresses a deep, bittersweet yearning for something or someone distant or unattainable, which brings both joy and sorrow.

[ghostsxagain]

More than anything she appreciated his honesty. Aurora noticed that people liked to dance around topics with her, watering shit down or withholding information completely. It drove her up the wall. Yet here was Rachel, admitting that no he wasn't okay. It was a small moment but it meant a lot to her. Personally she felt caught between a rock and a hard place most of the time. If she was emotional, then she wasn't coping well and needed to be fretted over. If she was calm and 'normal' then she was lying about her real feelings and was pushed into therapy. There was no winning. This hadn't happened to anyone else but her and Rachel, and they got to dictate how they felt about it all. It seemed only fair...

She was entranced by him. Every thing he said to her felt important. He was right - she did know what he was talking about. All too well. And there was a sad comfort in that. There was no telling what would come of this conversation but at least she knew that she wasn't alone. "Yeah... that sounds exactly right... Some mornings I get confused. I'll forget about it all, like it never happened. But as soon as I leave my room, I don't know, I get set off. The fact that I'm able to leave the room at all, I think, still fucks with me. It doesn't feel real, if that makes sense. I still expect to be shut in. Confined. So nights like this... it's a lot of mixed emotions. Freeing. But also terrifying."

Without needing to say it out loud, it seemed they were granting each other the space to get stuff off their chests. Stuff no one else would understand, let alone be able to stomach. Their understanding would only go so far though. Their prisons were very different and there was curiosity on both ends. His question was blunt but she could tell he didn't mean it to sound so harsh. The fact that he instantly back tracked made her want to try answering him - he deserved that much.

A deep breath expelled from her lungs as she stepped with him. Moving was a good idea; the stillness of their bodies made everything more intense. "No, no, you're allowed to ask. I get it. It's not stupid at all. There's, uhh, there's a few reasons why I haven't been talking about it, especially with the public. On one hand, I still don't really know what happened. It's hard to trust my memories, you know? Am I blocking stuff out to protect myself? Did it happen as I remember it? And trying to sort out a timeline is next to impossible. The days just bled together after a while...." She was shaking, whether it was from the cold or her nerves was unclear. But she'd keep going until she couldn't anymore. "On the other hand, there's this look that people get when I do start to get into it. It's this-- this look of pity. And it makes me feel so small, Rachel, so insignificant. I don't matter at that point, just my story. I'll be another victim used as fodder for a true crime documentary and I just--- that's not fair!" She swiped furiously at the stray tears that had rolled down her cheeks. She wasn't going to break down on him, no, that wouldn't be fair either. "I-if you can promise not to look at me like that, I'll tell you what I remember."

wingsandahalo​

Aurora was a lot of things but she wasn’t stupid. Especially after everything she’d gone through. She had spent so much time alone with little more than her thoughts to keep her occupied. She liked to think that if there was one sole positive change in her from this whole ordeal it was that she was more pensive now. Because of it she noticed details that she didn’t used to. She could read people better, even if she didn’t really know how to socialize with them anymore. There was a lot she could pick out about Rachel, a lot she could understand about his experience. What she couldn’t? Well, that’s what she wanted answers for. 

The fact that he opted to answer her was both a surprise and expected. He was a good guy, she knew he wouldn’t leave her hanging. They were different sides of the same coin, after all. Both of their lives had been changed forever by this whole ordeal. They were both innocent… right? Aurora listened carefully, moving just a little bit closer to him. She needed to ensure she heard every word since there was no chance she was going to ask him to repeat any of this. 

It sounded like he was a true victim of circumstance. She understood why he hadn’t gone to the police with her stuff - maybe if the roles were reversed she would have done the same thing. There was no way to know for sure. The blonde nodded her head once to let him know that she’d heard him though she took a few moments to process it all and attempt to find the right words to say in response. 

Finally, Aurora flashed the tiniest of smiles at him. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I… I don’t blame you for any of it.” Was that foolish? Perhaps, though she didn’t think so. What would he have to gain from lying to her now? She believed his story with every fibre of her being. Rachel wasn’t involved in her capture. “Was it the right choice? I don’t know, it’s not my place to judge. But you had your reasons and I can’t fault you for them.” Her voice was shaky as she tried to ignore the emotions bubbling up inside her. The truth of it all was that her heart ached for both of them. None of this was fair. 

“Thank you for telling me. I imagine it’s probably not the easiest thing to admit to my face. I really appreciate it thought.” She, too, crossed her arms and seemed to shrink in on herself. “I’m really sorry that you suffered through these years too. I wish it hadn’t happened to you. I wish that I could’ve said something sooner. I wish it hadn’t taken so fucking long–” she cut herself off with a shake of her head, swallowing down the lump in her throat. Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve… 

“How are you though? I know everyone’s asked but… are you okay?”

——– THERE IT WAS AGAIN… the glitch, the unhappy shadow of a smile washing over his face without a chance of helping it, only mere seconds after her question was out. It was ridiculous how unable he was to bite back the bitter chuckle, low, husky, fading out into something that sounded sadder than he liked. ❛❛What do you think?❜❜, he asked her in the same breath, sensing how the corners of his mouth twisted from upwards into the opposite direction. Rachel’s gaze dropped to the ground. Shit. It took a moment to school his face before he dared to look up again. ❛❛No… I’m not okay.❜❜ And neither are you.

        There. He admitted it. It wasn’t like he could keep up his act forever, that much he’d learned in those 3 years. But he didn’t want to give the media the satisfaction to latch onto it. You weren’t supposed to give them the satsifaction or any reason to take more interest in you. Soft, dark eyes studied Aurora’s face, both CURIOUS AND WARY. He had no idea what to expect of this encounter. Of course he’d played it in his head, over and over again, but he never thought that it would actually happen. He’d dreaded the idea of having to explain his involvement. Yet… hearing that she didn’t blame him was surprisingly relieving. He’d lived for a long time with the guilt of possibly fucking both of their lives up. And now she was back here. Safe. Alive. That was a win, wasn’t it?

❛❛It’s like… some sort of nightmare you’re having every night❜❜, he explained to paint her a better picture. ❛❛Like, every morning you wake up and the first thing you think is that you’re back in there. You know… of all people I think you’re the only one who knows what I’m talking about.❜❜  

        There was no elegant way to ask Aurora about what had happened to her. Frankly, he was dying to know and felt guilty for it. What did she go through? Did she also wake up in her own bed, her heart pounding with cold sweat covering her body from fear that everything was nothing but a dream and she never made it out? ❛❛Maybe I don’t read the newspaper or turn the TV on anymore❜❜, he stated carefully. ❛❛But I know they said that you didn’t share much about what was going on… well, there. WHEREVER YOU WERE. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so –❜❜ Rachel burried his cold hands in his pockets, letting out a long breath. Then he nodded aside and took a few steps along the riverside without taking his gaze off of her to see if she’d follow him. He needed to move. Standing still was driving him crazy. ❛❛If I am, let me know. I was just wondering – how bad was it? Ugh, nevermind… that’s a stupid question. Shouldn’t have asked, sorry.❜❜

[crazilust]

Geminis in pop culture and how they're underrated

Whenever we think about high intelligence, progress, innovations in regards to astrology, most of the time, we come up with Earth signs such as Capricorns, Virgos or Tauruses. Aquarius is also brought up often when it comes to progress and genius. It's crazy to me Gemini, which is ruled by the literal planet of intelligence and communication, is so often forgotten.

Kanye West ( Sun in Gemini, Jupiter in Gemini and Lilith in Gemini)

According to certain websites, he would be a Cancer rising, which would means his Gemini would be in the 12th house along with the three aforementioned placements.

Kanye is the perfect example of the genius strike that we often forget in Geminis. Kanye as a rapper, can be seen as a pioneer of both hip hop and rap. His refusal to do what other people were doing changed the game forever. Hate it or love him, the format of the today's rap songs are largely influenced by him. This is due, in fact, mostly because of Gemini's mutable qualities. Mutable signs are meant to disrupt the system. They are meant to bent the rules to their liking, wether you like it or not. If you even look at artists' birth charts you can see that they have major mutable placements no matter the element (water, fire, air or earth). But let's go back to Geminis because I actually think it's the combination of every aspect of Geminis that make them so powerful. We'll come back to that later.

Since the beginning of Ye's career, his goal was to share his story. He wanted the audience to immerse themselves fully in his world, no matter what that particular world was. That's also one of the reason why some albums created so much noise, because it was so raw. I feel that is so Gemini of him. Let's not forget that Geminis are ruled by Mercury. The literal planet of intelligence, communications, mental stimulation and curiosity. That said, if you mix the mutable aspect of wanting to disrupt the rules with Mercury's quality of wanting to communicate and share, you get someone that's not ashamed to give you the full depth of their human experience, no matter how disturbing it is.

Kanye has been shamed a lot for this, people accusing him of switchings beliefs from one extreme to another. Which is true (and kinda the reason why I don't like him as much as a person anymore, but let's move on). And that, too, is very Gemini of him. They get hated on so much for this trait, but I do believe as artists, that trait can get them so far, if they use it as a way to express the duality within them.

To me, art is supposed to make you feel something, no matter if the emotion is deemed negative or positive. And that's how you feel with a Gemini, Kanye being a prime example. He's able to pour his point of view and feelings into his art and we just get to witness that. And yes it's uncomfortable, because we would rather see the world in black and white. Geminis are not like that. They see and understand every point of view and rarely take side.

I love Geminis artists, man. Since I was a child.

2. Emma Chamberlain ( Sun, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in Gemini)

With Emma, what I want to highlight within the sign of Gemini is the intelligence and level of adaptability, like-ability and charisma that ooze from them. Emma Chamberlain is a young Youtube star who gained popularity for her vlog videos and unique editing style. One of the main reason she also got hate was the fact that she seemingly got famous for... well, nothing. That is the beauty and curse of Geminis. Most of what they do seem effortless, and I think that's why they're so underrated. Emma was able to capture your attention with a vlog that was as mundane as a short trip to the thrift store. How did she do it?

Geminis are about mental stimulation. Their brains is going at 200 mph at all time. They're always thinking of stuff, and Emma just had the brilliant idea to record herself and let that out of her brain. They have a way of recounting stories that is absolutely fascinating, you cannot do anything but listen. There's a reason why there's so many youtubers and rappers that are Geminis. They are good with words (that mix of Mercury and air is sweet, I'm telling y'all).

Another thing that I noticed is how good they are at marketing themselves (Mercury also rules commerce). They know how to make every part of themselves appealing and sellable. Everything that Emma wears become a trend. I totally attribute that to her Gemini placements (her mix of Taurus placements also helps i'ma be honest).

In conclusion

Geminis are pioneers, not only because they refuse to play within the limits of the game, but also because they are constantly evolving. Incredibly intelligent and insightful, they are able to recognize what the audience wants from them and give them even more than what they initially asked for. Creative and honestly quite weird, the moment they accept to share who they truly are to the world, they become everyone's model to copy from head to toe. They are able to stay solid within a high pressure environment and that makes them able to handle fame at quite a high level, actually.

advice : If you want to be famous or think you're meant to be, and you don't have the usual placements that is associated with fame (leo, capricorn, virgo, scorpio) please look at where Gemini is in your chart and work off of that. It'll be incredibly helpful.

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

If you read to the very end, I wanna know your Mercury sign and where is it placed in your chart. I love you all regardless,

Dolly.

[variousqueerthings]

a long text about something that some people have been able to say in simple sentences

or

Johnny may be a betrayal of character arc, but Daniel is a betrayal of themes

Okay, first thing here is that I said before that it was going to be hard for me to explain why I have such mixed feelings about Daniel’s arc in s5, because there’s so much tying into his story, and that’s sort of it, right? back to basics, this is Daniel’s story, because everything connects to him in the end -- which means that anything else that doesn’t work ties back to what I struggle with in his story.

So I will make the choice here to try and leave the other characters (except for Miyagi a bit) out of it as far as is possible for someone like me. Because otherwise this would end up becoming an essay about the whole flipping show and how all the characters mirror back at Daniel, who is the carrier of the Legacy (both in-show and out-of-show)

Secondly, apologies to @gjdraws I can no longer tell what you said and what I said, but just assume that these are not all entirely my words -- there is probably also a bunch I read on others’ posts, apologies for the repetition you’re very smart people! -- generally apologies for the repetition in the text, I try my best, I’m not being graded on this

Third thing is that while I may occasionally be talking character arc, a lot of what I’m speaking to here is what I think about theme. Technically there are character beats that on their own could be cool, but as a whole are incoherent, because they haven’t been earned and/or are couched in Cobra Kai’s issues with Theme

Fourth thing is to acknowledge (speaking of themes) that some people in this fandom called that the show doesn’t like Miyagi season/s ago, and I in my sweet naivety internally went “no, surely not – they may not completely understand the ethos that created Miyagi’s character, but they’re trying to grapple with it. Daniel’s whole story after all is figuring out how to handle the enormity of Miyagi’s legacy passed onto him and how to honour it and what his philosophy of pacifism and non-violence means for his own life, especially now he’s faced with a recurrence of the stories that led him to Miyagi in the first place” *takes deep breath*

So, at this point, I concede… the show really doesn’t like Miyagi, in the sense that it thinks his philosophy and the narrative that led to that philosophy is quaint and naive and silly (and not cool) at best... and I think once I get this out of my system, maybe I’ll be able to get back into the bits of it that I like playing with, the stuff it promised and set-up -- a lack of pay-off doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of interesting Stuff.

SO LET’S GET INTO SOME STUFF:

I’ve started calling it “The Tension of Daniel” – namely, how do white straight cis men of a certain Type who love the sports drama coming-of-age movie The Karate Kid come to terms with their main character being a skinny little mouthy kid who isn’t like Rocky or all those other guys who deserve to win because… well, look at those muscles! (Shhh, never mind that Rocky is about love, it’s his muscles!)

That Tension exists aaaaall the way through Cobra Kai, as many of us have called on numerous occasions. Daniel inhabits a role often given to female leads. His emotions are denied or made out to be ridiculous or hysterical. He “pretends” to have the moral high-ground, but he’s actually hypocritical as compared to the salt-of-the-earth direct talks-with-his-fists Johnny Lawrence. He’s just not quite as “cool” in his messiness and feelings. He is simply not as much of A Man in the “heroic lead of an American franchise type” as is comfortable. But of course he’s also not a woman (somethingsomething witness gender-essentialism in action).

Now the problem with Daniel not being as cool as Johnny (who has the decency to at least get blackout drunk and punch things when he feels things), is that he’s also one of the two heroes and he and Johnny are meant to find common ground. He’s the person with the most story backing him up (which means that in earlier seasons when his POV isn’t being respected by other characters we can fall back on the movies and remind ourselves why he’s reacting in xyz ways, even if the show itself doesn’t grace the audience with that perspective).

THE WRITERS DON’T LIKE DANIEL (YEAH YEAH WE KNOW):

-- Here’s where, instead of writing another 2000 words, I would redirect you to multiple posts written about how while Johnny’s narrative went from trying to deconstruct his story, Cobra Kai instead fell for how cool it was for everything to be solved with violence, provided it was at the right moment. (I have written several and I warrant you currently can’t spit in the Johnny Lawrence tag without coming across many more).

That ethos is the same for Daniel now, except rather than thinking he’s cool (they don’t) and that being the flaw in their writing him, they’re trying to “fix” him, to make him a more comfortable character for them.

Which means that by the end of this story Daniel isn’t trying to do what he seems to have been trying to do for the entire rest of it (including much of season 5!!!!) -- trying to understand Miyagi’s philosophy and reconstruct it for his own understanding of the world, while grieving him and honouring him, while also having the pain of the events that initially brought him to Miyagi dredged up, except this time without his help – it’s to see that what he really needs to solve his issues is to finally be a fucking man about them.

And for much of season five, this isn’t even the case: For the first half Terry Silver stalks and terrifies Daniel on multiple occasions. Several people have talked about the ways it appears sexual, like an abusive ex, like Daniel is framed in a way women often are – physically completely overwhelmed and disbelieved and/or minimized almost regardless of whom he goes to, and unable to speak about what he’s going through (almost like a survivor). @jenpsaki and @bobakick and @youandthemountains and @deputychairman (I’m sure there are others).

The difference between Daniel-now and Daniel-of-previous-seasons is that much of the menace is being shown onscreen (at last!) so Daniel is seemingly being validated by the narrative (at last!) -- here the obvious point that never is Daniel given the opportunity to really... talk about it. And he likely never will, because it’s all handled now, right?

Please let me know who pointed out the fascinating gendered role-reversal of Amanda disbelieving Daniel until Jessica backs up his narrative + actually gets to say a hell of a lot more than Daniel ever does.

But at the end of the story he wins against Terry in a fight, total role-reversal of episode 5, his wife and kids (family) watching on – no Johnny of course, not even Chozen. They weren’t important to Daniel’s journey I guess. They’re not “really” family in this context.

He’s risen above his original writing where he was wishy-washy and annoying and cared about complex conflict resolutions and he’s met Johnny halfway (which would be idk… still an alcoholic who’s trying to make it work I guess, but crucially correct when he thought that violence was the answer all along, even though that was what his story was meant to be deconstructing).

COOL DANIEL

I think this Very Cool Scene of Daniel finally winning comes at the cost of everything that makes him interesting to fans like us to begin with – all the unpalatably non-traditional-masculine traits that have made him up since day one: His pursuit of non-violence even when that’s a struggle, his complicated way of expressing his emotions, his lack of need to prove his masculinity in order to be worthy, and his past as a victim of others’ needs to prove the same, and a man who made him believe for a brief moment that he was special and how dealing with the aftermath of that + return of that man has sent him to some bad places that he’s trying to be honest about himself with. If anything he’s the character who is most self-aware (and most hyper-critical) of his own ability to make bad choices sometimes.

And despite Daniel’s new upgrade into masculinity-a-dude-audience-can-finally-root-for, the initial Tension is still there throughout most of the season: in the way that he’s never ever given a scene to properly talk about any of it in his own words (well, in s4 I guess but we never saw it so RIP -- sidenote I do want to know how many monologues Johnny gets vs Daniel) and in the way he doesn’t have the power to tell the story on his terms/drive the narrative (in the first half this makes sense – he’s on the back-foot, he doesn’t know how to defeat Silver, he wants to be protected, but in the last episode???):

In the last episode, Mike, Chozen, and Johnny decide to randomly attack Silver without Daniel’s consent (and don’t even end up bringing Daniel along). They set in motion the events that lead to the fight, not Daniel, not even Silver. There’s nothing that has happened thus far that suggests Daniel has recovered from what’s happened to him -- I acknowledge here the callback to Miyagi scene and getting to train with Johnny and Chozen, but none of that is about facing his fear. It’s a good step to something that could pay-off later, but it never does because Johnny and Chozen aren’t there in the final episode -- never mind come to the conclusion that the way to really take down Silver is to beat him up. He doesn’t have a say over where that confrontation happens.

On the surface he’s victorious, but narratively he’s really just following the beats set out by everyone else, right up until the last Moment when he magically defeats Terry, because now it’s decided he’s allowed to.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO MIYAGI:

I know some people made their peace seasons ago that whatever Miyagi mattered to the original narrative is almost entirely absent from this one, and maybe that’s what I need to do to start the process of doing surgery on this show to make it work for me.

But before I can do that, I have to ask what the hell is the point of Daniel’s journey? If it’s not about finding his way to Miyagi’s lessons? If it’s not to find a way to face the fears that have been haunting him for 35 years, which Miyagi was trying to help him with? If it’s not for Miyagi’s legacy to influence the whole darn narrative from beyond the grave, but most strongly through Daniel, his adopted son?

Taking the idea that “one day Daniel will do karate his way” is one thing, but it doesn’t apply to what’s happening in the final fight, because Daniel isn’t fighting to understand himself or what Miyagi meant or anything Miyagi-related. The story isn’t answering this conceit, it’s talking about something completely different with the fight, Miyagi-as-theme has looong abandoned the building.

So why does Daniel have to solve his problems this way? What is it thematically (not “deservedly” not “coolness-factor” but simply what questions does it answer?)

Is Miyagi-do too weak a philosophy for Daniel to find himself in? Is violence to solve your problems only wrong if it’s the bad guys doing it, but fine if practically the exact same things are done by the good guys at the right time? – and especially LaRusso who before this came off as a bit as a pansy, despite his (much more thematically interesting) fight against Kreese, but now he’s proved he’s just as good a fighter as Terry Silver, which was what he really always needed to get over his fear

At the end neither Johnny nor Chozen (and I would say it ought to have been Johnny, but I would have taken Chozen) were even there to support him in any meaningful way, so it’s not really about the family you make and their helping you stand up on your feet.

Nobody’s honking anyone’s noses anymore.

Nobody’s stepping out of the way to let the aggressor punch the glass in their own blind rage.

No mercy was in fact the correct philosophy, Kreese was right from the get-go, his problem was just that he was the bad guy. Thank goodness now the good guys are enacting it -- violence, if done by the right people, is good after all

CONCLUSION:

Daniel, to me, is the most embedded example of what Cobra Kai does over and over, which is taking a narrative that’s thematically pointing in a particular direction, and then veering last minute into a completely different conclusion, usually what they consider more visually spectacular – that is to say, a fight

Daniel was given so much to work with this season and the conclusion of his arc: beat the other man until he can’t get up again.

If anything this show is an ouroboros. It started eating its own themes in sacrifice of “badass fight scene after badass fight scene” until it could no longer write characters who don’t solve their problems with violence, because then it would have to admit that its growing reliance of violence as a tool to show any character growth was in direct opposition to its original themes of exploring and deconstructing the very violence it now presents without question… until all you’re left with is Daniel, who completes his character arc through violence

---

SOME NOTES

1. there’s also a separate thing pointed out to me by GJdraws, where Carmen is the only character who never enacts violence and is weak and Daniel is weak until he enacts violence, at which point he becomes badass

2. another point I loosely made about Sam on her post, which was that she wants to “leave karate” to find herself but the narrative pulls her back in, because if Sam wasn’t doing karate it wouldn’t be able to think of something for her to do at all (one symptom of the ouroboros).

3. funnily enough, despite overall hating far more of Johnny’s arc this season, he actually got to have the catharsis I was hoping for Daniel and for him: when he fought Kreese in s3 he did it out of rage and fear and oh so many mixed emotions and he lost (he lost because Robby was following right in his footsteps and he accidentally hurt him), and then later on he got beaten up again by Terry, in front of Kreese. His winning moment is telling Kreese in prison that he’s going to erase everything about him – and at that moment he’s supported by Daniel, just like he was during his fight with him – that’s some good subversion of the roles the two of them play

4. amazingly, I managed to stick to my guns and not bring Terry into this beyond certain bits, but it’s not lost on me that after episode five he does... basically nothing. He opens some dojos and hires a strict sensei and trains some kids, but he doesn’t actually enact any massively evil plans, he just waits around until some drunk guys break into his home. it would have been easy to run with what’s already there and have him spiral into his own maw (was that not what ouroboros was meant to be about????? violence eventually eats itself). Terry is ultimately self-destructive, just like Kreese when he punched the glass all those years ago. That’s... the themes are right there??????? Terry’s kind of flipping tragic, why not let him be that (at least TIG knows)

5. and I didn’t really speak to the pacing, because I was talking about themes, but while I can forgive rushed pacing if one isn’t sure of a renewal, why start introducing new characters and half-assed racist lore in the back-half of the season instead of concentrating all your energy on the core of the characters arcs?

sure, maybe Daniel could have fought Terry again and there be emotional resonance, I’m not saying the ability to write that didn’t exist, but there was no narrative build-up to it, which adds to the disconnectedness of it all. Why is he fighting Terry now? I don’t know. Was it a fight that made sense for either of their characters? No.

6. I think where I’m at is beginning to find the bits of shiny stuff that I want to play with -- if I know why something didn’t work for me, I can reconstruct it in a way that it does. the absence of something is what I want to make present. the flawed enacting of a genuinely intended theme is still giving the tools to continue to play with said theme.

The Tension of Daniel still remains in full force and that is interesting to work with

[revisitedgrunt]

Wednesday

I binged Wednesday a few days ago and I'm still having thoughts about it. Thought I'd write them down in an attempt to move on.

Spoilers follow.

For the most part, I really enjoyed it. Loved almost all the characters, loved the setting, loved the mystery and loved the acting. Jenna Ortega was fantastic, as she always is and everyone else did a great job with what they had to work with.

Honestly, my only issue with it was the love triangle. I'm one of those people that felt that Wednesday shouldn't have had a love interest, let alone two. The writers could have done the correct, smart thing and not included one, but they felt the need to include two. I can only guess it's because the characters are teenagers, but with Wednesday it just felt unneeded, cliché and poorly written.  

Throughout the entire season I didn't once get the impression that Wednesday was into either boy, so I was confused when she kept agreeing to do things with Tyler, like the dance and the date. Wednesday gave off absolutely zero romantic vibes, so why not just shut it down and tell him she wasn't interested. After seeing an interview with Jenna, I think I now have an idea of what happened.

Jenna didn't want a love triangle, she was against it. Jenna said that Wednesday's primary interest was the monster and the mystery and her interest in the boys wasn't genuine but just amusement and that boys are the last thing on Wednesday's mind.

Seems to me that Jenna had a much better idea of her character than the writers did. So going to the dance and on the date were just an amusing distraction, not because Wednesday was actually into it. This at least makes sense with Wednesday's absolute non-romantic interest in the boys. I'd love to see the script. Did Jenna play it how it was written, or was Wednesday meant to actually care and Jenna decided not to play it like that?

So, the love interests. Xavier was obviously the secondary one. I found it funny that they'd met as kids and Wednesday didn't remember him. He had to tell that very specific story to get her to remember. Given that for most of the season, Wednesday thought he was the Hyde, there really wasn't any romance here. Xavier as a person seems kinda terrible. Broke up with Bianca, basically accusing her of using her powers on him when there was no evidence she did. Also asked Bianca, who still seemed into him, at the dance they went to together, to take his memories of Wednesday away. Imagine you're Bianca and how bad that would make you feel.

Looks like he's being set up as the future love interest. Jenna also has an issue with this. In another interview (she also mentions being against the love triage here) she said she'd like them to become good friends as safe, platonic friendships between men and women aren't shown often enough.

I love Jenna for having the courage to speak out like this. I feel like a lot of actors wouldn't criticise the writers, but Jenna obviously knows her worth.

Now, Tyler. For the most part, I found him to be inoffensive. Apart from the “mixed signals” scene, which was a red flag as Wednesday had given him no signals, he wasn't too bad. There also wasn't really much there, he was just a generic “nice” guy. It was funny after finding out he's the Hyde, Wednesday wasn't upset. Her only response was a one liner about the first boy she kissed being a monster. This goes back to the fact that Wednesday gave off no romantic vibes and Jenna played it as Wednesday not genuinely being into him.

I would hope he's off the board as far as love interests go. We learnt in episode 8 that he did remember what he did as the Hyde, and he enjoyed it. Given that he almost killed Eugene, one of two people Wednesday forms an actual emotional bond with, I don't see her forgiving him.

Now it's time to talk about Enid, who's the only other person Wednesday seems to actually care about at Nevermore. Their relationship also doesn't come across as romantic. However, I feel that if the writers continue to force romance onto Wednesday, this one would at least make sense.

Unlike with Tyler and Xavier, Wednesday does seem to care about Enid's thoughts and feelings. All we need to do is look at the scenes where Enid moves out and the climatic hug to confirm this. Wednesday is genuinely upset when Enid moves out, we can contrast this with scenes of Tyler and Xavier being mad and her, and her not giving a damn.

The hug is also the emotional highlight of the show and the culmination of their relationship. Wednesday has backed away from hugs in the past, but here she hugs Enid back. It's not just a pity hug either, or because Wednesday thinks Enid deserves it. She hugs Enid tightly, emotionally, while closing her eyes. This is probably the most emotional we see Wednesday all season and, unlike the Tyler kiss, this doesn’t end badly.

I also found it interesting that Enid is the one who saves Wednesday from Tyler. In a lot of stories it's the love interest who saves the main character, but here it's Enid. It's even more interesting when a bit later we see Xavier try to save Wednesday from Joseph, which fails spectacularly and results in Wednesday getting hurt.

It would be very easy to turn this from a friendship to a romance. A lot easier than establishing something with Xavier, or someone new. I also don't think they'll do this. Gough and Millar have written for shows with wlw rep, The Shannara Chronicles and Into the Badlands, but I get the impression they are pushing the Wenclair friendship and want to keep them straight. This is also stupid because the whole point of the show is about being an outcast. They even equate this with being queer with Enid's subplot about conversion camp and her parents accepting her for who she is. Many queer people still fell like outcasts and this show could do so much good in having their main character, who has so much name recognition, be actually queer.

That was a lot. If you liked the romances I'm happy for you. I do hope there's a season two as the good greatly outweighed the bad.

I see Wenclair is already a popular tag :)