#I just greatly enjoyed the episode but was disappointed in some things

[fangirlforlife97]

The most unrealistic thing to come from 7x05 was that Maddie never suspected Buck being into men!!??!! WHAT ABOUT THOSE PAST COMMENTS FROM YOU MADDIE REGARDING BUCK AND EDDIE AND BUCK AND JOSH??!! WERE THEY JUST MEANT FOR COMEDIC RELIEF OR DID THE WRITERS JUST SIMPLY NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THE OTHER SEASONS??!! Not disappointed in you Maddie, I love you. Just certain writing decisions.

[rebelrebelwrites]

My messy thoughts on season 2 (all three episodes) so far below the cut

- LOVE the way Sauron formed his body. Absolutely horrifying.

- Charlie Vickers is terrifying; other Sauron actor was good but his baby face didn’t help matters. I wish they’d just put a different wig on CV because DAMN; he unsettles masterfully. Could not keep my eyes off of him in episode 1. He was riveting.

- I do read Sauron’s intro in episode 1 as he was both genuinely considering or striving for repentance, but also the ultimate opportunist — stealing the king of the southlands mark, then all he does with Galadriel. Truly I think Sauron is better as the ultimate opportunist capable of great planning and machinations, but it’s not believable unless he’s handy at a pivot

- I realized that BOTH Sauron and Galadriel were mutinied against (which like, I don’t know how I didn’t think of that until seeing it because it’s not like we didn’t know generally what happened); more reason to believe that their connection was real and not deception. He meant the things he said in the forge scene on some level, and you cannot convince me otherwise

- Again, CV absolutely kills every scene/moment with Adar. The hatred and desire for revenge and scheming; it’s all palpable. Him and Sam H. also have electric chemistry. I greatly enjoyed all his scenes in Mordor in Ep 1

- I’m absolutely living for all of the angst even though it hurts. Elrond, Galadriel, GAL MISSING HER BOYFRIEND… (and being equally terrified of what she’s done/having let him in)

- THE FLASH TO THEIR MOMENT IN THE FOREST FROM UDUN WHEN GAL IS TRYING TO CONVINCE ELROND TO COME WITH HER! I died

- The lead-up to Annatar’s reveal was so good. Sauron is way too good at what he does.

- Okay the vision with celebrimbor plus whispers of Galadriel was great but I need more mind palace shenanigans ASAP

- This show is really gonna make me root for Isildur isn’t it (not like I wasn’t but I am enjoying seeing more of him, especially saving Berek. Horse girl at heart, just like his dad and descendant)

- Earien is making me mad but Valandil gave me LIFE

- poor Miriel. And Elendil. And Theo and Arondir 😭

- Charles Edwards is also doing wonderfully. I especially appreciated his subtlety in episode 3

- Disa and Durin are again faves. Love how Durin was immediately sus of Annatar

- I am very worried for Nori and Poppy but also I know they’re fine. It’s almost weird hearing The Stranger/Gandalf talk but I feel like they’re building to a confirmation with all the name stuff.

- Loving it so far but I want more Sauron and Galadriel and specifically them both SOON, pleeeeease (idk if we’re getting it but I can hope!)

There’s more but this is all I can coherently muster rn. Biggest disappointment? That we have to wait for the rest! 😆🫠🫠🫠

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls- Season 2, Episode 16, "There's The Rub", aka A Sheer Masterpiece of GilmoreDom, AKA Jess, Rory, And Paris Eat Together And All Is Right With The World-Part 3

Who's ready for more TTR? (PS: There is a link to all previous recaps including parts 1 and 2 of TTR in my pinned post, while I work on puting together a better master index. You can also search my Tumblr by specific episode name or season).

Anyone ever look at unofficial GG merchandise on places like Redbubble and Etsy? There are a bunch of phrases that always end up on crap. Oy with the poodles already. I smell snow. Etc etc. "Vicious trollop" is a very common one as well. But nobody was putting "Why Did You Drop Out of Yale" on anything, so I had to create my own custom merch.

The banter between Emily and Lorelai is so sharp and witty and wonderful in this episode, it reminds me why am I still watching this show in the first place and subjecting myself to the additional torture of analyzing every episode minute by minute (for the second time in 3 years), even though it so often greatly disappoints me or angers me. There are just some episodes where AmyShermanPalladino's light shines through and touches everything in her kingdom. None of these moments involve Dean Forrester.

Never have I ever been so excited to see these two little words. "Doorbell Rings." JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS JESS

When I tell you I literally squealed when she opened the door. If Gilly Girls was taking place in the 2020's, Jess would be a DoorDasher. I would have him deliver to the Forresters and spit in Dean's food. This is all too pure. My heart's a flutter. I can't snark on it. SaltyGilmores™ has been disabled. Look, I can't just regurgiate every single line and frame from this scene so I'll just post a select few things. Enjoy and #AdmireTheDeliveryBaby

Can we talk about the way she's looking at him? 😍 R: How come Cesar didn't deliver this? J: I volunteered. R: Why? J: I wanted to get out of the construction zone. Mmm, sure. I love when he does this shit:

He doesn't exactly sound surprised that one of the Gilmores didn't tip him. I will never cease, desist or yield in making "Rory and Lorelai don't pay for their food" jokes.

Should I instead make jokes about how this is the second time in a row that the Gilmores actually did try to pay him and he refused?

The last time we saw this shirt, he had a name patch over his titty. I really like this shirt and how we can see his scandalous bare forearms for once. Dear Baby Jesus, Milo is adorable. And the light on him is just perfect in this shot.

R: You're staying? J: Didn't you just invite me? R: No... J: You told me I could have all the food I wanted. That sounded Invitation-Like. R: You want to stay here and eat? J: Beats being at Luke's.

You will not be going anywhere, young lady. You sit right down at that table and have a literary debate with Jess and Rory, eat some fries, and don't get up until Dean Forrester barges in and ruins everything.

Jess Mariano's social anxiety is so palpable you could eat it. It is radiating from his pores with the intensity of a hundred suns. This anxious little nugget, who did not make even a second of eye contact upon meeting a new person, has the entire town of Schitt's Hollow quaking in fear of what atrocities he may be capable of. Oooh what have we here? A MINOR INCONSEQUENTIAL PLOT HOLE!

To be continued.

[melonteee]

I enjoyed OPLA and really did like some of the changes they made but now that it's marinated in my brain a bit. It's hard out here being a Sanji enjoyer fr

I feel like it didn't really show his sensitivity and vulnerability. You said something about Baratie arc feeling like a checklist and GOD yeah it really felt like that :'D I always forget the Mihawk fight happened there honestly and am disappointed that parts of the episodes were dedicated to tension between Nami, Luffy and Zoro about the duel rather than... you know... blorbo from my shows

He really did feel like a side character to his own story cause some of the most memorable things about him were completely missed or skimmed over. I h8 that he just talks about the All Blue and it's not that goofy smile from the animanga. Also that he doesn't watch the fight or have this moment of "wait, my dream is worth fighting for". It's kinda said to our face that "he doesn't leave cause he owes Zeff" but I don't feel it the same way I do in the animanga. I have so many weird feelings cause I love some aspects to OPLA. But as a Sanji fan, I'm sad that he's kinda barely in it? And that what they left in were just surface level observations about him: "he's a chef who fights and flirts" um, where's that self-loathing and self-destructive kindness huh??

At least he calls Zoro mosshead once though and I got the joy of replaying that scene in different languages and now know what "mosshead" is in a plethora of languages.

...also have you seen the YOUTOOZ figures for OPLA cause I'm haunted

I just...everyone was stripped of character but Sanji and Usopp were especially so ruined I really do not understand it. Like I'm sorry, using Sanji's pain and trauma as a lesson for Luffy IS a despicable way to frame it, even worse with Luffy not even ACKNOWLEDGING IT??

One's pain in One Piece does not exist to teach any other characters a lesson, Sanji starving on a rock for 2 months does not exist so he can just tell Luffy how hard it is to be a captain. Which doesn't even make SENSE because Zeff wasn't even SANJI'S CAPTAIN AT THE DAMN TIME. NOR HAS HE EVER BEEN?

I feel crazy because everyone seems very lukewarm on it, and maybe I am just insanely attached to Sanji and feel greatly touched by his story, but is using a character's original written trauma as a plot device for ANOTHER character not insulting? Is there ANY respect for Sanji's 2 months of hell there? There's a damn good reason Sanji's story existed to be his OWN and not a motivational speech for LUFFY??

Imagine if Zoro was like "My best friend died, changing the course of my life and putting me through a grief so heavy I now carry her dream with me. Sometimes death of a loved one is an inevitable factor" and Luffy's like "L+ratio+I would kill MY best friend for Sanji" LIKE...WHA....

This is pure insanity I feel like I'm being shot left and right with everything I hear, like I'm glad people are enjoying bits and pieces, truly, but the flaws and disrespect of original character are just so apparent they're doing my head in - especially with how tons of people are choosing to just ignore it.

They tried to give Luffy this weird Water 7 moment, where he had to learn how to be a captain, but this script failed to consider Luffy had to learn that HIMSELF of his OWN circumstances and decisions with Usopp. Yes he was helped by Zoro in Water 7, but Zoro didn't suddenly just trauma dump about how awful a past he had for Luffy to go "Cool. ANYWAYS!" LIKE I JUST...REALLY? Am I crazy or overly biased or what because god damn I'm just jaw dropped at all of this fhgkd

The Baratie is meant to be Luffy witnessing SANJI'S character, and learning of SANJI'S personality and morals - with Sanji then being inspired from Luffy. Where was that? Where was any of that? Why was Sanji's kindness, stubbornness and self-sacrifice side-lined for a character we've been with LONGER at that point to get a bigger spotlight? It's so weird I don't GET IIIIT DFGHJKD

HOWEVER, yes I have seen the merchandise and it scared me KHDFGJKD sorry for that I...truly had a lot of thoughts hhh

[greentrickster]

@johnconstantinesdick #👀👀 I didn’t know you were into rwby

In an absolutely wild twist, and for the sake of honesty... technically I'm not. Love a lot of the ideas and things (especially the early fights) in the first three seasons, never got past I think episode six of season one (twice (I did try)), have greatly enjoyed what I've seen of Chibi.

Like... I'm here because I crawled in through the garage window of hbomberguy's 'RWBY is Disappointing, Here's Why' video, watched a few more critiques, was unimpressed by what I heard about season four onwards, got reminded that Torchwick is so much fun, bumped into a cool idea, discovered that @elektricangel had written that idea very well in their The Divine Comedy duology, watched some AMVs, couldn't find much else focusing on Torchwick that really drew me, remembered the jack-o-lantern mythology I know, realized that, hey, all that actually fits really well with Torchwick, wrote a one shot around that involving him and Neo, went to make my escape back out the garage window, discovered that I'd accidentally lured @fullbattleregalia in here with me, who proceeded to buy and read Roman Holiday and also watch the first three seasons of RWBY and all of Chibi, and long story short the jack-o-lantern thing isn't a one-shot anymore and I've used a literal thirteen pens' worth of ink on the damn thing so far, along with a Word document containing 10k of notes for it, and I only started writing the danged thing July 23. The divine madness has consumed me, and canon dies and is reborn anew beneath my pen.

Which is to say, I'm here, I care deeply, I am writing sincerely, but also absolutely none of what I'm doing is in any way normal, but I'm not the one who left the garage window open for goblins like me to get in so really it's not my fault. >_>U

TL;DR: Yes, but only in the weirdest, most technical sense possible, because my ability to wander into a fandom and integrate without more than the absolute barest contact with the source material is second to none. Also, I cannot stress enough that I'm not here to ruin anyone's time or anything, I'm just Extremely Weird. I did a very similar thing with Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, and it's one of my favorite fandoms now. Watched a couple episodes of the donghua, never read any of the books, literally cannot get enough fanfics of these idiot men, hamster supremacy.

Also, love the Jack Zimmerman icon, very spiffy!

[helluvashitposter]

This is the first time I'm gonna get in on reviewing the new Helluva boss episode because this was the one I was most excited for! But before I do that, I'm saying it now:

I saw a lot of negative reviews were focused around the Ozzie texts between Stolas and Blitzo and well...I'm sorry guys but my main focus is on THIS MAN RIGHT HERE

So without further a dooooooooo...

I honestly enjoyed Striker in this episode! I love seeing a wackier side of him and not just edgy edge lord, low voice, "I'm gonna eat your kids" through the whole episode. I understand why some people were super disappointed in him not being as threatening as he was in the first episode, but hey. This is a cartoon about dumb demons and sex, I try not to take it too seriously already! (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)

(I also wanna say this now, I was also one of the people taken back by the change in voice actors, but I ain't even gonna let that bother me too much: I know folks like Norman are gonna be mighty expensive or too busy to keep around. As sad as it is, if I can get used to Stolas new voice, I can do the same for this one as long as it means more Strike!)

Speaking of Striker, the main criticism I keep seeing is that he was too egotistical, and because of that statue everyone is just saying he was another Chaz. But I honestly don't get this one?

Striker was ALWAYS just as entitled and self centered in the first episode: Did we forget this man literally made a song all about how awesome he is (That didn't even rhyme) And his speech to Blitz where he talked about how he was above the imps? The statue seems pretty in character for him! Striker has always sucked his own dick, maybe it was a little overzealous but definitely not enough for me to say he was just a full blown Chaz!

Plus, that man still took his job pretty damn serious! Never once was Striker incompetent or a dumbass in this episode. He knew his mission and he was damn malicious about, I mean if you gonna try to tell me this man wasn't just as bloodthirsty as he was last time-

This man has never once hesitated to hurt anyone who gets in his way or just for the fun of it and I think it still shows greatly here!

All and all, I have to disagree with everyone saying his character was "ruined" or "too Chaz like" Striker definitely did not spend the episode going on and on about how his dick is the biggest or how everyone wants to fuck him like Chaz would. (R.i.p Chaz, I love you sweetie!) As left field as the statue was, it definitely didn't steal from the fact that this man was once again determined to finish his job. Which got taken away from him by Stella at the last minute, which he was super bummed about, but he does get paid extra soooo! 🎉🎉🎉

(Full disclaimer: I didn't really care for the Stella part of the episode, I do like the voice actor for snowy owl though. But overall they really were just there...it's really hard to say anything about it other than the fact that she didn't want Stolas killed sooooo (⁠＠⁠_⁠＠⁠;⁠))

Now for the big stuff: The pacing.

I have to say...I do have to agree with everyone when they say the pacing was all over the place. I have to admit: With all the trailers that we were getting, I was expecting this bad boy to be long as hell! At least a good 25 to 30 minutes because we were getting all kinds of things! But man...

Even though the little vet visit was funny, and I am a huge fan of that cute lil goat doctor, it did take away from the actual tension. I came here for badass Striker! And not to mention M&M barely got time to shine as well! The pacing really was just:

BOOM! STRIKER KIDNAPPED STOLAS--

Loona scared of vet 🥺

BAM! MOXXIE AND MILLIE ARE GONNA TAKE ON STRIKER BY THEMSELVES, OOOOOO POWER COUPLE--

Blitz and Karen yell at each other 🤬

RAAAAAH, STRIKER STABBY STOLAS, MILLIE AND MOXXIE CRASH THROUGH ROOF THOUGH, IT'S TIME FOR THE MOST EPIC FIGHT--

Loona got her shot 😊

I feel like we totally got robbed on a much more epic fight and some shades thrown from M&M and Striker, especially when it was a highlight of the trailer! These two being able to properly settle a score with Striker would have really made for such an amazing tension scene since they were the main ones who were affected by him in the first episode. LIKE GUYS, LET MOX AND MILL SHINE WHEN BLITZO ISN'T AROUND, I BEG YOU! THEY'RE AMAZING TOO!! 😭

I will stand by everyone when they say: WE NEED MORE MILLIE DAMNIT!

The ending with Stolas definitely tugged at my heart strings, I won't lie! But again, I'm not here for the Stolitz angst, I was just here to see Strikey boy. WHO DIDN'T DIE, SO YES! TAKE THAT TWITTER!!! MY BOY GETS TO HUNT ANOTHER DAY, AND NOT ONCE DID HE GET HIT BY A TRAIN, IN FACT HE APPARENTLY LOVES THEM SO HA!!

All and all, I will say Harvest moon was peek Striker. It's gonna be hard to ever top that, Norman Striker will forever be missed! But at the end of the day, I did enjoy seeing my favorite cowboy again, and there's apparently some more lore behind him as well that we'll hopefully get to see in the later seasons. I'm just glad I can easily sleep tonight knowing that he wasn't just killed off in the second episode we get him in! 🙏

So it was a good time all around! Especially watching it with my favorite person 💕

[toujokaname]

Get Along / Episode 2

Author: Kino Seitaro with Akira

Characters: Tatsumi, Hokuto, Arashi, Kanata, Hiyori

"...What a disappointment."

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Location: Old Seisoukan Building

Season: Winter

Time: That night.

Tatsumi: Now that we have decided on the bathing schedule and the division of household chores, let's finally decide on the beds for each of us.

Since there are two bunk beds, only one person will have to use a futon on the floor―

If it's alright with you, I'll sleep on the futon, so please decide where you all want to sleep.

Hokuto: No. I'll take the floor.

When I stayed overnight at school, I often slept on the floor.

Also, I've been wondering since the SS preliminaries in Hokkaido, but your leg isn't completely healed, is it?

Tatsumi: My apologies. Your concern is greatly appreciated.

If it's about that old injury, there's nothing to worry about. But since you're generously offering me a bed, I shall take the bottom bunk.

Kanata: Then, I will take the "top bunk"~♪ If I don't feel the steam of the "humidifier", I will "dry up".

"Ohisama"-san will also take a "top bunk", right?

Hiyori: Of course! As the leader, I want to be in a position where I can watch over everyone ♪

Arashi: Fufu. Then I'll take the other bottom bunk.

Now that all the assignments have been decided smoothly, let's enjoy our life living together from today ♪

Time: Two hours later.

Tatsumi: Excuse me, Kanata-san. Could you please leave the bath soon?

I'm the last one, so I don't mind having to do it later, but it's going to be bedtime if you don't finish taking your bath shortly.

Kanata: Wah, is it already this "late"?

I am sorry, for taking a long "bath"...♪

Puka, puka... splaaash...♪

Tatsumi: Um. Kanata-san, are you perhaps playing in the bath again...?

Kanata: Fufufu. It's not like that~ Just a little bit more...♪

Arashi: .........

(Hmm... I can't fall asleep like I usually do. Maybe it's the different pillows and bedding.)

(Or is it because of this feeling... that some noise is disturbing my sleep? It sounds strangely familiar...)

Hokuto: (Whisper) "Please... Listen to my wish! This is our last critical moment...!"

Arashi: Mm...?

Hokuto: "Do something... It's the last thing I'll ask for, for the rest of my life!"

Arashi: Hold on, Hokuto-chan. Are you reading the script from under the covers?

I can hear your voice all the way over here. It's late, so let's go to sleep early and get ready for tomorrow.

Hokuto: So you were awake, Narukami.

I know it's better to go to bed early, but... The practice period is short, and the main task this time is to read out loud. So I ought to devote my efforts to that.

Arashi: I understand how you feel, but it's hard to sleep when someone's mumbling in the middle of the room, isn't it?

Your voice is so clear that it makes me feel like someone's chanting Buddhist prayers in the middle of the night.

Hokuto: I see. I'm reluctant to do so, but if you can hear me even from under the covers, I don't have a choice. I'll go outside to practice.

Arashi: Uugh. Cold, cold, cold... Hokuto-chan, could you please shut the door?

Sigh. Now all my sleepiness is gone. Hopefully this won't happen again...

Hiyori: Myy. Though winter mornings are a little chilly, they are also refreshing!

I usually wake up alone, so it's a new experience to be woken up by someone else, isn't it?

Tatsumi: Haha. I haven't woken up a roommate since sharing a dorm with Aira-san. Perhaps due to my hesitation, I had a surprisingly difficult time.

But. If you don't mind, please leave the task of waking you up for the rest of the week to me. That much will be a piece of cake.

As a senior, I had to straighten up, too. When I was in this old building, I remember that I made it a habit to go to bed early and wake up early.

I have a radio recording with Arashi-san today, and I'd like to take the opportunity to talk about our Shuffle Project with her ♪

Arashi: Yaaawnnn...

Tatsumi: Oh my. Arashi-san, that was quite the big yawn.

Everyone else is awake, but perhaps you're not so good in the mornings? Fufu, it's a new side of you that I wouldn't have known about without this training camp.

Arashi: It's so not like that. I just couldn't get to sleep until late last night.

Ah, jeez~ It's the worst way to wake up. At least I can cover it up with makeup.

Today I have a guest appearance on Kazehaya-senpai's radio show, so I'll go to the bathroom, wash my face, and cheer up...

Kanata: Arashi~ Can you please get out of the way?

Today is an incredibly "dry" "day". If I dry up, I will die...

Arashi: I'm sorry, but I just started my skincare routine...!

Can't you wait just a bit longer? Your lessons don't start until the afternoon, so let me have priority.

Kanata: Ehh~...?

Hokuto: Shinkai-senpai. I'm sorry, but may I use the bathroom next? I have school today, so I must get ready soon.

Kanata: Uuu~... Understood. "Tardiness" is strictly forbidden, after all.

Siigh... I miss the water...

I know. There's a "shower" next door, right? I will use the "shower"...♪

Hokuto: Wha-?! Turn off that shower right now, Shinkai-senpai! You're spraying water all over here!

Ghh, now I won't make it to school on time...!

Kanata: Ah. I'm sorry, it seems I made a "mistake".

Tatsumi: (...Hmm. It looks like we're not at all in sync. I suppose it's difficult for temporary units to create a sense of harmony.)

(I had actually prepared sandwiches for everyone to have for breakfast. But from the looks of things, it seems it'd be best to wait and see how things go for a while.)

Hiyori: ...What a disappointment.

―And this Shuffle Unit was supposed to be my last job.

Tatsumi: Oh? Hiyori-san, did you say something?

Hiyori: Nope. Just talking to myself! No need for you to know!

More importantly, shouldn't the remaining members have breakfast together? After all, running on an empty stomach would ruin the atmosphere!

Tatsumi: Ah, yes. Shall we do that, Hiyori-san? Since I was just preparing breakfast―

Tatsumi: .........

(I thought I heard Hiyori-san say "last job" just now. Did I mishear him...?)

(But, I'm certain I heard it...)

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[houndfaker]

currently stopped at 12/2. there’s a lot i wanna talk about. this game makes me feel so incredibly strange. ill leave a very messy ramble under the cut

being past a majority of the significant moments i feel like i can give a pretty lengthy discussion of my feelings

the game does what it says on the tin it’s an hd remake. storyline (at least as of the date i cited) is by and large approximately the same.

the game itself is gorgeous it looks amazing. there is so much clear effort put into every little aspect, of which everyone is already greatly aware

i have highly mixed feelings

things i am enjoying

a nice handful of the link episodes and optional content are feel good and sweet moments that give a better impression of the cast’s relationship, which is always welcome. particular examples im personally really about include shinji’s link episodes and the group study sessions

theurgy moves and how they reflect each characters growth in their second move that unlocks with their ult persona. trismegistus’s theurgy killed me dead.

lots of very welcome qol changes that streamline numerous parts of the original game in a way that feels pretty good. i particularly enjoy the text message function and how it reminds you who’s available which days while also letting you fast travel directly to the link in question, and the net functionality thing that lets me see what others decided to do each day. a ton of helpful stuff for someone really forgetful basically

ive been playing on peaceful because im not good at rpgs (yes i spent $70 on a game from a genre i am notoriously bad at!!!!) so i can’t speak much to a lot of gameplay stuff but im glad tartarus has more to it and has also received qol changes that make it less of a slog to grind (at least in my experience). in general tartarus’s overhaul rules; visually the alternate environments with different corresponding floor layouts are awesome

they let ryoji be bisexual outwardly! kinda pretty much? much like aigis’s “I know you should be with a man” in portable it’s hard not to take “I want to be more than a friend to you” as anything other than explicitly gay. i still have a few more scenes with the guy so it might take a minute before i can be fully confident in this point.

things im not enjoying

the quality of the character writing in a lot of places is either off, irritating, or it flat out feels incorrect in some instances. whether it’s aki dropping the p word as liberally as he does or mitsuru being constantly put forward as intimidating and that’s the whole joke, or the weird new speech quirks aigis has, there are moments you can very much tell the writers are going “how many times can we fit this same unfunny joke or bit across the game”. it feels like a greater chunk of the time that they don’t Know what to do with the characters so they fall back on pushing whichever flagship trait that character is known for and it really hurts the overall enjoyment of the additional content when it feels so…shallow? as a result. not ALL of it is this way but there is a significant enough pattern that it’s genuinely a bother

how little they use the potential of this remake to demonstrate individual character dynamics that aren’t otherwise frequently touched on (i.e say yukari and shinji or aki or like aigis and shinji or fuuka and aki; there’s like a ton of character duos within sees that we just don’t really have a grasp on how they feel about each other). i was especially disappointed at the lack of shinji with other people than the rest of senpai squad or the protag, which is what i was most looking forward to having more of going in. maybe some of what i was hoping for is in tartarus dialogue i didn’t wind up triggering (which there is an insane amount of that id love to pick through once im done) but just based on the episodes i played and the hangouts i did it’s still like man. i wanted to see him being friends with other members yk? they barely took any cues from the portable slink.

BECAUSE the story is written so closely to the original any weird inconsistencies remain the same, although there are a handful of moments where they clarify certain important things that i don’t believe were in the originals. on a similar note whereas they smartened up and made stuff like romance optional and removed that notorious transphobic scene, they’re still not immune to being really fucking weird about age gaps and grooming !!! and of course the sexualization of highschoolers remains ‘Detrimental’ to the storyline 😐

ok i writing this as i am so sleep I am falling asleep with my phone. my primary thoughts for now make of that what you will. god i hate video games

[mesmerblossoms]

Spoilers for What Lies Within below

Negative stuff first.

I won't lie. I was disappointed with the way the story handled the Commander's trauma. While the narrative and the characters did acknowledge how much the Commander has been through, it felt like they were just scratching the surface without actually exploring or confronting it properly.

I greatly disliked how the Commander's trauma being used as bait for the demon did not backfire in any major way. Many players pointed out how callous and insensitive that plan felt after previous episode, and I was hoping there would be some consequences for it. Something going wrong to make them realise just how dangerous a position they were putting the Commander in, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and apologise for it. The Commander did get to express their displeasure, but in ONE line, and that was that.

Also the whole thing with channelling their emotions into the mechsuit and firing it at demons felt like a rather handwavy way of dealing with it to me. It made the resolution feel a little shallow.

The last boss felt rather... eh. I don't really have much to say about it other than that.

To be honest, this episode felt like it was less about helping the Commander heal, and more about helping Yao, Chul-Moo and the others overcome their inner fears and unrest. Which is fine... just... not what I was hoping for.

Okay, now the positive stuff.

I LOVED the choices we got at the beginning. I personally picked Blish and Aurene, but when I played it again, I picked Vlast and Cinder. Again, while these segements weren't nearly as in-depth as I would have liked them to be, they were still interesting and emotionally charged. It was nice to actually go back and acknowledge some of the people we've lost on our journey. Getting a peek at the Commander's complicated feelings towards Mai and Cinder was especially interesting to me. (Also Aurene's segement seems to imply the Commander hasn't seen her for a while. Where did she go?)

Again, while it felt a bit shallow, I did appreciate how the Commander's friends made it clear they were there for them. I was critical of their willingness to use the Commander's emotional turmoil as bait, but the constant reassurance that they would support the Commander was much needed. It showed that despite everything, the Commander does have true companions that would be there for them til the end.

The voice acting was stellar. A special shoutout to the female human, norn, and sylvari voice actresses. I really enjoyed their performances in this episode! The music for the tunnel segment was beautiful, and I can't wait to play it on repeat when the soundtrack comes out.

And of course, the date at the end. Thought it was a lovely paralell to the previous episode. where Rama, Gorrik and the Commander were alone. And I adore the fact they let you pick your date too. Would have preferred a slightly wider array of choices. Canach was a given, Ayumi is really sweet, and I do like Yao a lot, but I would have liked more options of people we've known for longer like Caithe let me date Caithe you cowards. The dialogue was charming and funny, and it was really nice to just slow down and talk with the characters.

Overall, I think it was a decent episode, despite my big gripes with it. But a lot of potential was lost. I do feel like the subject matter they tried to tackle was a bit much for two short episodes. The level of depth required for such a thing would need much more time to explore and resolve.

[lonely-dwelling]

Justice League 24

Today, Taylor and Spencer are discussing Justice League 24, a Forever Evil tie-in, originally released October 23rd, 2013

Taylor: What makes someone evil? The term is thrown around a lot in the media and it’s gotten to the point where it seems its meaning has become lost, just as we lose our sense of what good beer tastes like after a few or five drinks. We call certain dictators evil and the same goes for terrorists. In the stories we tell one another we talk about super villains and often these individuals are motivated by hate or revenge or the lust for power. We call these people evil and in both cases this is rightly so. But of course, considering someone evil is all a matter of perspective. One man’s terrorist is another man’s martyr; one’s hero is another’s villain. But suppose for a second we existed in a universe where this yin-yang balance didn’t exist. What would it be like? Justice League 24, a tie-in with Forever Evil, attempts to give us this answer and in doing so shows us some really deplorable characters.

In another universe a guy exactly like superman is born to some truly dickish parents. You see, his dad, Jor-Il (not Jor-El mind you), is truly a bad person and so is his wife. As their planet is about to explode they kill a bunch of people to ensure their son’s safe passage from the dying rock. In his spaceship, this would-be superman is bombarded with hateful recordings his entire trip to Earth. Naturally, this makes the baby a huge asshole and as such he turns into Ultraman, an evil version of Superman. Along with his cast of similarly evil anti-heroes, Ultraman begins an oppression of the Earth, which also sees the downfall of the Justice League. All seems lost until Black Adam makes a surprise appearance. But will he be able to overthrow this super evil Ultraman?

Normally I’m a huge fan of alternative universes and/or timelines. The Battle of the Atom taking place in the Marvel Universe is evidence enough of that. I’ve been enjoying that event greatly and it’s been a blast seeing members from various timelines interact with one another. The same is true of those goofy Star Trek episodes where they meet their evil counterparts. Sure, the plots border on shtick but  it’s fun to see what an evil Benjamin Sisco would do if he had the chance the kill himself.

That being said, I was expecting great, or perhaps at least entertaining, things from this issue but I was sadly disappointed. I think the reason for this is that Ultraman is just way too unlikable to stomach, even though I suspect the very reason for his creation is so he can be hated by the reader. Writer Geoff Johns goes to great lengths to establish why Ultraman is the way he is, devoting nearly half of the issue to the origin of Ultraman. Turns out that like Superman, Ultraman was born on a dying planet to parents who wanted him to succeed. The crinkle in the story of course is that this planet is populated entirely by assholes and it just so happens that Ultraman’s dad is the biggest asshole of all. He kills some people to assure baby Ultraman’s escape and in the process tells his beloved wife to “shut up and die.” Charming guy.

Now, this part of the issue is actually pretty fun. It’s entertaining to see the antithesis of Jor-El, the benevolent and educated scientist, running amok and dooming his son to a life of evil with an escape pod full of insults. The contrast between the two fathers is sharp and for a character that populates only a few pages, the unrivaled evilness of his ways is hilarious to watch. However, any more of a character like this and he or she needs to be instilled with subsequent motivations for their evil or they run the risk of becoming entirely flat, boring, and totally unlikable.

Thus enters Ultraman in his full-grown glory and he’s so steeped in evil that it robs the character of any agency –  he may have started with as a blank slate. Throughout the issue, he makes references to his own evilness and how that makes him a better person than Superman – or any other person he has the fortune of meeting. Ostensibly, the reason he gives for this is that he is a huge Darwinist. To Ultraman, “only the strong survive” and anyone who can’t beat him in a fist fight is a weakling who deserves to die. Apparently, survival of the fittest means being the strongest person around, but it’s not like scientists would have anything to say about that, or evolution itself for that matter. Can humans beat up a gorilla hand to hand? No, but we can outsmart them, and which species has become so powerful we now can eat Doritos any time we want? Right, you know the answer.

The absolute buffoonery of Ultraman’s stance is best exemplified by his bizarre decision to pick on Jimmy, a photographer at the Daily Planet.

It’s a ridiculous exchange and Ultraman’s anger at Jimmy is baseless to the point of being nonsensical. And that’s really why this issue falls flat. Ultraman is supposed to be evil, but his motivations for doing what he does are shallow at best. Just why is he such a complete and absolute void of goodness and just what does he, or his cohorts, get out of it? Normally with evil types, the reader can justify their actions in some way, but in this case there’s really no explaining it. Ultraman is 1000% evil and that thereby makes him the villainiest villain ever, but as it turns out reading about someone that terrible is pretty terrible itself.

Spencer! As you might have guessed, I wasn’t a huge fan of this issue. Did it fare any better with you? Do you think Ultraman is an intriguing character or just an ass? Can a villain be too evil for his or her own good?

Spencer: I think Ultraman could be an intriguing character, but despite all this issue tries to do with him, none of it really works.

In previous continuities, Earth-3 was a world of opposites, a world where Superman was its greatest villain, Lex Luthor its greatest hero, and evil always triumphed. It’s an interesting concept, but Geoff Johns seems to playing his version of Earth-3 as a world of absolute evil, and while that can be a lot of fun, it doesn’t necessarily make for the most compelling characters.

Of course, both of those interpretations are silly in their own way, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As Taylor mentioned, the best portions of this issue were the scenes set on Krypton, where Jor-Il and Lora are such terrible people that they cross a line into actual comedy.

Likewise, the issue’s take on baby Kal-Il’s arrival on Earth is another comedic goldmine precisely because it’s so over the top.

On the page prior we see that Jonathan Kent is a deadbeat abusive scumbag and his wife Martha a drug addict, then we cut to this dark reprisal of the typically heartwarming meeting between the Kents and their new child, only now, of course, lil’ Kal is an evil toddler; I must be a terrible person, but I couldn’t help but to laugh when I got to this scene. I can’t get over how he just walks up onto shore and barbeques John’s arm off, speaking in complete, articulate sentences like an adult in a child’s body. In no way can I take any of this seriously, but at least it’s fun, and that sense of fun is unfortunately absent from the rest of the issue, which treats all its events with morbid seriousness.

I realize that the Syndicate’s invasion is a serious, dangerous, thoroughly unfunny situation, but uniformly treating it all with the same grim, humorless tone makes it a slog to get through, and is at odds with the entire ridiculous concept of Earth-3 anyway. Do we really need deep psychological explanations for Ultraman’s evilness when he hails from a universe where everyone’s naturally a gigantic douchebag? Not really.

If anything, Ultraman’s motivations mostly just serve to muddle the character. A common character trait of Superman’s is that he’ll try to do everything himself or throw himself into his teammate’s fights in an attempt to protect them (“Every punch I take is a punch they don’t have to!”), and that makes it even more boggling why Ultraman—who obviously lacks even a shred of Superman’s inherent kindness—keeps the rest of the Crime Syndicate around. I mean, yeah, he needs Superwoman to bear his child (ick), but Power Ring is a coward who can barely use his weapon; what possible reason could he have to allow him to live?! Why did he allow the citizens of his Earth to live—did he consider their cruelty a form of strength? That doesn’t make a ton of sense to me, at least from the version of Ultraman we’ve seen throughout this issue.

There are a few parts of this issue I legitimately, unironically enjoy, though. While it’s only hinted at, it appears that Darkseid may have been responsible for the destruction of both Krypton-3 and Earth-3, and that’s an idea that intrigues me. This issue’s other saving grace is, of course, Ivan Reis’ excellent artwork. Reis’ work is some of the most iconic in DC’s roster, and the man draws both dramatic splashes and 10 panel pages full of exposition with equal aplomb. I’m most impressed by the page where Ultraman arrives at the Daily Planet.

Genetically, Ultraman is Superman, and his uniform and powers are practically identical to Superman’s, so it’s understandable that Jimmy (or the reader) might mistake Ultraman for him, yet Reis—through posture, facial expression, and use of shadow—makes it clear that this is not Superman with only a glance, and that’s impressive.

Ultimately, though, this issue is a let down. Beyond the faults listed above, this issue’s greatest weakness—and Forever Evil’s greatest weakness in general—is simply that the Justice League isn’t around. Without good guys, the evil of the Crime Syndicate is nearly unbearable. As a group of ultimate evil who can’t even stand to be around each other, the Crime Syndicate is an interesting contrast to the fundamental goodness and camaraderie of the Justice League, but that contrast is lost when the League is nowhere to be found (and when the League can barely get along to begin with, but that’s neither here nor there).

I do think that the cover—an homage to Jim Lee’s cover from way back in Issue 1—is pretty rad though.

For a complete list of what we’re reading, head on over to our Pull List page.  Whenever possible, buy your comics from your local mom and pop comic bookstore.  If you want to rock digital copies, head on over to DC’s website and download issues there.  There’s no need to pirate, right?

[aesthetic-bastard]

Media Interaction 2022

Part 8: August

Land of the Lustrous - This is probably the most gorgeous-looking anime I have ever seen as well as the most incredible use of CGI in an anime. I loved every moment of Land of the Lustrous and it's a shame the first season goes by so quick in just 12 episodes I wish I could get more.

I will probably continue with Land of the Lustrous by reading the manga at some point in the meantime but its adaptation is just too stunning to anticipate its second season. Anthropomorphism is probably one of my favorite themes in anything but I appreciate it when it's done faithfully to whatever non-human entity the concept is based on. I like that each gem in Land of the Lustrious has its own unique personality and quirks based on its real-life gemstone. I also like the incorporation of the Mohs scale of mineral hardness and how it's essentially used to determine each gem's efficiency in battle. It makes me so elated when this attention to detail is put into designs based on objects or animals and is never just [human version of object]. Besides the excellent world-building and character development, I'm very fond of each gem being basically genderless and sharing very homosexual relationships with each other. The relationship Phosphophyllite developed with Cinnabar is very special to me and I never expected to be so emotionally torn up even by the first episode of watching their interactions with each other. In fact, I have never watched anything that tore me up by the end of just the first episode, excellent anime.

Ergo Proxy - I don't think any other anime will ever be able to top using a Radiohead song as part of its official soundtrack. Besides a stunning ending theme featuring fucking Paranoid Android by Radiohead I think Ergo Proxy also has one of my top favorite Opening Themes in anime. I'm learning that I seem to greatly enjoy media that are both post-apocalyptic as well as sci-fi and Ergo Proxy does everything with these themes that I love. I find the setting of this anime very pleasing to me in how I envision a future where most of humanity is wiped out and society is forced to live an artificial livelihood inside of bubble domes. There are a lot of things this anime has that are very satisfactory to me which are its art style, color pallet, soundtrack, and ambiance. I strongly admire the female lead in Ergo Proxy and feel that Re-l Mayer is written like a real woman with genuine struggles and emotions. I can say the same for Vincent Law and that he is a male lead that isn't overly masculine and has emotions that he isn't afraid to express. Ergo Proxy is one of the few psychological anime that I appreciate because I feel that my brain is just big enough to understand the larger picture. I'm not all that fond of psychological themes in media but Ergo Proxy gives you just enough to work with by the end of each episode for you to further unravel the mystery and I anticipated each episode after the next at least for the first 12 episodes. After the first half of Ergo Proxy, I did feel it tends to drag along and have some very unusual filler episodes. I'm not sure if I could even call them filler because no matter how "off" they felt from the main story they still had a purpose in explaining what was happening. I would like to add that Ergo Proxy is also another one of the top animes I've watched that has an excellent English dub.

SMT IV: prayers (manga) - This is a 2-volume mini-series set in an alternative setting following the character Jonathan. SMT IV Prayers is ok at best but it being just ok is what dissatisfies me. Of the two characters Jonathan and Walter, Jonathan is my favorite and it's disappointing to see his story fall so flat in comparison to the other mini-series following Walter. The art style isn't the worst but it's not the greatest either the only good-looking character is Jonathan but besides that all the other character designs make me wanna take a nap. I don't have very much to say about Jonathan's mini-series and I think the newly added character introduced in his story is just a very two-dimensional edge lord that wants revenge on demons.

SMT IV: demonic gene (manga) - This is the other mini-series following Walter in an alternative setting. I liked this mini-series a lot better than the story following Jonathan even though Jonathan is my favorite. I think the art style is very good and I liked seeing all the characters in SMT IV be adapted in the author's style. The story is a little more interesting and I like the new character introduced in Walters's alternative setting vs the character introduced in Jonathan's alternative setting.

Dead Dead Demon's Dededededestruction - This was my first time reading anything by Asano Inio and I have been made very well aware his works are pure depression and misery despite having absolutely gorgeous imagery and lovely character designs. I was always drawn to this manga over his other work, Goodnight Punpun which I have seen is wildly popular but I was just in love with all the character designs I had seen when first introduced to Dead Dead Demon. This manga was very political and I didn't expect that but that's what made me enjoy it. I think Dead Dead Demon has a very brutal and realistic depiction of how the world would actually react if aliens came to Earth. When aliens invaded Tokyo it was nothing like a Hollywood blockbuster movie. It was an intense heated political climate. You have one side of the political spectrum that believes aliens are "invading our country" and we should kill them vs the other side of the political spectrum that believes that we should make contact with Aliens and coexist with them. There is a pretty big underlying theme of xenophobia depicted in Dead Dead Demon but it is very unfortunate that this theme is literally thrown away after chapter 80 in fact anything after chapter 80 is thrown away. I was very disappointed by the ending, to say the least. I loved the bond that Kadode and Ontan had with each other and I think things really kick into high gear when you learn the meaning of Ontans existence in Kadodes relationship. I think they should have been girlfriends that being said I would have rather it ended with everyone dying in the explosion and Ontan and Kadode spending their final moments with each other after they kissed. I was truly prepared for a miserable ending after being made aware of the author's previous works and I would have accepted that kind of ending over the one we get. I really don't care if the ending fixes everything and makes it a happy ending it literally feels like Dead Dead Demon got axed at the last moment. While reading this I heard there is an anime adaptation coming out at some point and I am rather excited but I do fear this will be an anime that will have terrible reception if it hits western audiences for many reasons despite that, I give Dead Dead Demon a solid 10.

[telenovelameta]

second episode of Mania De Voce... still engaged, but not yet engrossed. not committing yet.

i greatly enjoyed mavi stealing the money tho i'm already seeing myself getting annoyed at people online being moralistic about a story like this lol there's already people worried about "passar pano" for these characters, but like, it was clear from the teasers it is a "shark eating shark" story. or at least, i hope that's the approach that JMC will take. honestly, i think that's the biggest trap i see him falling on later down the line, and why i'm hesitant to fully commit to this novela yet. I think JMC is extremely inventive, competent and a genius even at times... but despite his inventiveness, and his constant invents to construct "amoral" tales of vengeance, the main mishaps in both AB and a favorita is he couldn't free himself from the "mocinho vs vilao" formula in the end.

AB is amazing 90% of the run, with both Carminha and Rita managing to out-smart the other, but the final 20% has this embarrassing, disappointing hypocrisy laced over it... with Rita facing no consequences for the things she did. despite so damn much foreshadowing that her committing to her vengeance would alienate people from her. in the end she gets "justified" and forgiven for lying to everyone extremely quickly.

and in A Favorita the promising set up of two equal, dynamic, rival character is lost after the twist. that Donatela may not be a serial killer like Flor, doesn't mean she stopped being a futile rich person lol so all the complexity of that novela was lost pretty fast, and it just became a typical "ain't bitches crazy!!", ~good vs evil tale

(which im not opposed to in principle, actually. in fact i rather enjoy a lot of "classic" novelas like that. but if you are selling me a ~novel take, you gotta commit to it, man).

so, i hope that's not the case here, and that luma gets to keep some amount of moral grayness all the gay to the end (and i mean true moral grayness... "talaricagem" is not moral grayness).

(just her though, the other "good" guy, i have pretty much no hope in fdlkjsfd extremely flat character so far).

but yeah. it's still early days. as the secondary plots get revealed, it will be easier to tell whether or not JMC is truly trying to go for something novel this time or not.

[jennablackmorebooks]

As a reader, the difference mostly changes how I'll access the book. Traditionally published books are a lot easier to find in thrift stores and libraries than self-published books, greatly owing to the form of their original distribution and wide availability. Wanting to read a self-published book means, generally, that I have a few extra steps: go out and buy a prepaid credit card (I don't have a normal one and don't feel like having one yet), order it online, and wait for it to arrive in the mail.

For the content, I've loved self-published and traditionally published books, and I've been disappointed by both as well. Publishing form, generally, doesn't say much as to the quality of prose of an individual work. Sure, across the board your stats may be higher one way or another of being at least minimally acceptable literature, but it's not 100% all around, so you're playing a lottery either way. There will be books from both that are entirely of questionable quality. Which makes the most important factor to me this: am I allowed to look into the first few pages of a book? I want to be able to read a bit of the writing first to make sure I have a chance of liking it, so if a self-publishing site does not let me see a bit of the writing as a preview, or if a traditional publisher puts out a plastic shrink wrapped box set, I'm not really planning to buy either of those. Doesn't matter who published them, I need to know if it's any good or not.

Now, lately when looking for newer books aimed at an audience in their probably 20-somethings, I am more trusting of self-published books. (Some genres don't have this problem, and I'm more likely to trust a traditionally published family drama or thriller or postmodern literary fiction novel than a fantasy or romance one because the rot hasn't reached them yet; it does not evade me that the genres that are becoming less enjoyable in traditional publishing are the ones many women currently read and I wonder if it is that the publishers think them less "serious" and therefore think they can churn out slop and slap a bunch of trope names on it and think we won't expect better. Correlation? Causation? Either way it sucks.) I've seen the very tip of an iceberg in traditional publishing called writing-to-tropes and tiktok book clones, and I don't want to see any more of it. I'm not saying that this isn't prevalent in self-published works too, but if I stay off tiktok, I don't see them. I can join some random facebook group for authors of, say, vampire fiction, or follow a blog of an author who writes gothic horror epistolary fiction, or look into acquiring a book written by a person who makes episode reviews for a television series I enjoy. I can avoid whatever "spicy dark fae dark romance enemies to lovers kingdom" fad is raging out in the publishing world. It's easier to find places, with self-publishing, to find books by people whose sense of literature I like and trust. And, of course, I can make friends with authors, and buy their books when they release them, which is always so fun to do. I love seeing my friends' names on my bookshelf.

But traditional publishing has put out a lot of great stuff, and I'm sure it is still putting out great stuff. It's just the stuff that gets crammed in the alphabetized fiction or reference section of the bookstore rather than the front and center "popular now!" tables. It's not really the stuff that's been getting mass appeal on certain social media sites.

I know, I probably sound elitist, but I don't really feel like lowering my standards. I've read a lot of books that I think are good and that I enjoy, and because of it, I don't want to read books that I think are not good and that I do not enjoy.

As an author, many things incentivized me to choose self-publishing.

I am, technically, a hobbyist of sorts. I take my writing very seriously, but I have no illusions or goals of making it my full time job. I don't even want to call it a "side hustle" because that's... not really what it is for me in spirit. It's for fun. I do it for fun. I am very adamant about creating books that I think are good, but having it as a full time job is not a prerequisite to that. I'm not aspiring for fame or to get on some bestseller list of some newspaper, so I think many aspects of traditional publishing are not necessary or wanted for what I wish to do with my writing.

There are things I do not find to be fun. I will do them anyway. I dislike formatting alternating page headers and then removing them from chapter opening and blank pages. I will do it anyway. There are things I do not find to be fun that I simply do not want to do. Query letters. Extended synopsis writing. Waiting six weeks to hear back on a submission that's not allowed to be sent to other publishers at the same time. I do not elect to do these.

I get a lot of experience in editing and formatting books, and designing covers. That's part of the experience, for me! I don't want to outsource it to someone at a publishing house. That's part of my fun!

I keep all of the rights. This is awesome. I firmly believe in creators being able to keep the rights of their own work.

I can edit. Dare I say it, I can edit well. I don't have to get a house editor as a necessity.

I get to keep my creative vision. This is one of the most important ones. I have no antagonism towards traditional publishing editors specifically, but a publishing house is a corporate, profit-seeking entity, and I would hate for my work to be manipulated or neutered to fit what would best get some corpo a bunch of sales. For me, the meaning of the story is more important than the profit. It also means I can be sure that important parts of characters' identities don't get put on the chopping block when the whims of society decide it's no longer marketable and popular.

I might be a little bit disillusioned with the traditional publishing industry. Just a bit. We live in a world where it is not necessary to sling our manuscripts at one of the — sorry, is this the right phrase — Big Five Publishers? Just five? Is that where the prestige is? Five companies to be an Elite Author™? Does that not sound insane to the rest of you? Way to go. You made the Ivy League for books. Is this what we all wanted. Are we happy. Anyway, we don't have to throw our books at them, so I'm not going to.

I get to decide what the covers will look like!

Traditional author employer Publisher McDuck cannot ask me to post inane little videos on tiktok while he swims in the pool of marketing money he's saving for throwing that in my contract. I only have to post inane little videos on tiktok when I want to. And, you know, maybe a couple that aren't inane if I feel like it.

I love what self-publishing has let me do so far. It has its own challenges, of course. It's more editing work and certain necessary skills to either have or pay for. But I've developed those skills. I like the freedom it gives me to decide my own publishing schedule, to make the best book I know I can make without what I could quite uncharitably call corporate meddling, and to tell stories that I feel are meaningful to tell in the way I think is best to tell them. The largest downside for quite a few years was that my printer didn't allow hardcovers, but they even solved that in 2021, so my main complaint now is that they don't let me do gilded pages. And that from time to time, something expressly not mine gets misfiled as one of my books online, like that blasted notebook I had so much trouble about a short while back.

Of course, there's also something about the sites that self-publishing is often facilitated on, something about the ethics of major players and the prevalence of smaller rights-hoarding scams popping up to eat inexperienced authors alive, but I'm going to walk slowly away from that dead horse's corpse and refrain from beating it in the idiomatic sense.

I don't think there's any one right way to publish. I dislike holding up one type of publishing as more elite or more moral or more whatever the measure of the day is just to say one is better than the other. There are many, many authors in this world, and multiple ways of publishing, and that's normal. That should be encouraged. Even if I don't like the pseudo-Ivy League of traditional publishing, I'm not saying traditional publishing shouldn't be done or doesn't produce any good literature, and I would hope those who elect to use traditional publishing wouldn't insist self-publishing shouldn't be done or doesn't produce any good literature. Not only because we should all be smarter than that and because it isn't true, but also because it's, arguably, a good thing that there are different ways to make a manuscript into a book.

okay guys im doing a survey thing so this is for writers and readers, reblog and share your thoughts?

topic: self publishing vs trad publishing

as a reader, does the difference mean anything to you?

as a writer, what helps you decide which to pursue?

i'm going to be using the replies to this post to make more topic posts later on as part of a larger project i'm putting together, so i really appreciate answers!

[charlemane]

enjoying the Adventures of Philip Marlowe radio plays. the first two episodes in the collection i checked out were very good - i thought The Red Wind had some really good pm characterization (apparently this one was an adaptation of an actual Chandler story, which figures) and The Persian Slippers was satisfyingly twisty. and then the third ep, The Panama Hat, was just... kinda goofy, imo, but even though the plot was noticeably thin, i was still invested enough in Gerald Mohr's portrayal that i enjoyed listening to it. the episodes since then have been variable in quality; you can definitely tell they're not Chandler, but they're still pretty fun to listen to.

there seem to be some episodes missing from the collection i got from the library. at the end of each episode, they have pm give a little preview snippet of the next episode, then typically start that episode with the same snippet. but one of the preview snippets- one where pm mentioned, among other things, "a man i couldn't figure out"- didn't line up with the next ep in the collection. which disappointed me greatly, since it sounded like we were going to get some classic plausible deniability bisexual pm moments in there. i wonder if that episode is lost now...

anyways i also want to note here that pm ended two episodes in a row (episodes that would have aired around Christmas and New Years, respectively) by being like "i wish people would be nicer to each other :("

what a guy.

[dokoni-mo]

Mortal Shenanigans || Khonshu x GN! Reader

summary: you have a night out.

SFW // fluff

word count: 5008

warnings: fluff, cursing, mentions of canon-typical violence, post-canon, mentions of marc, steven and jake (they do not make an appearance), khonshu struggles with human emotion sometimes and gets frustrated a bit easily but we love him for it, established relationship, khonshu also has a really big ego but thats just common knowledge, non-violent usage of knives

disclaimer: i do not have DID myself, so if i wrote anything incorrectly as it pertains to the mentions of marc, steven and jake I apologize, i just tried to stay as close to canon as possible

a/n: wow its been FOREVER since ive written for a different fandom,,, look look ik what yall are thinking: really? the bird man?? well YES the bird man if i can simp for the worst evil dilf in the galaxy i can simp for the bird man too (he's also my comfort character and ive been struggling with some anxiety/more insomnia recently so ffkadfjkdlf i just need this one okay??),, anyways taglist open!! enjoy!!

~~~

Every time you looked at Khonshu, you could only wonder one thing. Why didn't he give himself any hair?

You had been with the god for years now. Long before either Marc, Steven, or Jake was his avatar. You knew him. You knew that he was full of pride. The god took great pride in the "vengeance" he sought on those who have done wrong. He took pride in his Moon Knight; even if he had to jump through some hoops to get one. Khonshu almost never admitted he was wrong. And even more rarely, he would apologize for being wrong. You had to give him the silent treatment for days for him to do that.

Which is why his lack of hair puzzled you greatly.

Although he wasn't very forward about it, you knew Khonshu also took great pride in his appearance. Hell, it ate him up for weeks when Ammit had said that time had not been kind to him. He had tailored his physical form to perfectly fit the description of God of the Moon. He liked to be handsome, in his own weird, oddly specific way. You loved him for it, along with a great deal of many other reasons, but why. Why didn't he include hair?

All the other Gods you had met had hair. Ammit did. Taweret did. So why not him? If he did it right, it might suit him. Something long, with lots of braids and charms. But also kept tidy, to suit how particular he was about things.

You knew he could do it. Have hair, that is. With one wave of a linen-wrapped hand, he could have all the hair in the world if he wanted to. It would look nice. So why not?

These questions were asked over and over inside of your mind that night. It was Sunday, which meant Khonshu relieved Jake of any moon-knighting so that he could spend time with you. While the god was passionate about protecting the travelers of the night, and carrying out his own form of justice, he was moreso passionate about you. He missed you deeply during the leading days to Sunday. He knew of your longing for him as well. So, he took Sundays very seriously.

You were lain on the couch of your flat, your legs resting in the lap of the hawk-headed deity. Khonshu's staff was leaned against the wall next to him, one hand on the side of your thigh whilst the other idly drew patterns into your shin. His skull was pointed at your television, which was displaying some over-the-top reality series you had found on Netflix not long ago. Khonshu grumbled over and over again how such "trash entertainment" was beneath both you and him, but you saw how interested he was in it. You knew it was just more than curiosity when he asked if a new episode had dropped. How he seemed disappointed when you scrolled past it when looking for better things.

Typical Khonshu.

But because his attention was somewhere else, the deity didn't notice how you had been staring at him for the past twenty minutes. You had been taking in every single one of his features, trying your best to picture in your minds eye just what kind of hairstyle would suit him. Even after days of scrolling on Pinterest, you had failed time and time again to find the perfect look for him. It was up to you now to create it. Yet still, you wondered...

"Khon?" you squeaked out, having to clear your throat after not talking for so long.

Not looking away from the TV screen, your bird-headed lover answered you, "Yes, my moonstone?"

"Why don't you have any hair?"

Your question certainly got the god's attention now. Out of all the things he had expected you to say, you could tell that certainly wasn't one of them. It surprised the bird-man enough to rip his gaze away from the TV, and make him stop rubbing those small, loving circles into your leg as he looked down at your inquisitive face.

"Hair?" he asked.

"Yeah, hair." you responded, "All the other gods seemed to have it. Why don't you? And those little string things back there don't count."

It took him a second to answer you, thinking of what to say, "I... have never seen a purpose to have it, I suppose."

You laughed, "You don't need a reason to have hair. You can have it just to look nice."

"Look nice?"

"Yeah, like how some people use it to express themselves. Remember the other day? When we saw that person with the yellow mohawk? That was them expressing themselves."

"Are you suggesting I get a yellow mohawk?"

You laughed again, "No, no! I'm just saying it might look good on you."

The god thought to himself for a moment again, letting out a hmm as you saw the gears beginning to turn inside of his skull.

"I don't think I agree with you, little one." He said.

"Whaaaat?" you groaned, sitting yourself up to get a better look at your lover next to you, your legs still in his lap, "Why not?"

Khonshu leaned the end his beak down to tap against your cheek at your protests, his own way of kissing you to wash away your exasperation, "I am the God of the Night Sky, my little mortal. I have put great effort in to how I look now. Hair would not suit me in the slightest, nor would serve any purpose. Your suggestion is adorable, however, my star."

You half-smiled and rolled your eyes at his comments, not in the mood to give up so quickly.

"Okay but have you even tried having hair before?" you asked, "You can't say it won't suit you until you've tried it."

"I don't need to try it. I just know it wouldn't."

"Well can I see? To make sure? Just like, just something you think would look good."

"It doesn't work like that, little one."

Feeling defeated, you let out a groan as you leaned back against the chair, lying down again as you stretched your hands out behind you. Reaching down to your face, Khonshu used his thin, linen-wrapped fingers to brush the hair away from your eyes, trailing them down to cup your face; his palm taking up nearly the entire expanse of the side of your head. Feeling his comforting touch, you leaned your cheek against it as you looked into the sockets of his skull.

"Your suggestions are always welcome with me, my sweet, but this is one that I cannot accept. I do hope you understand." The deity said to you, rubbing his long thumb lovingly against your smaller cheek.

"I just don't understand why you won't even try." you said, "It sounds like you're just being stubborn again, bird-brain."

"I am not stubborn. I just know what is best."

This warranted another laugh out of you, along with a swift kiss pressed against the hawk-headed god's palm. This was definitely typical Khonshu. You half-expected your schemed conversation to go in such a way, so you found it hard to be angry at the god's lack of adventure. He was never really one to try new things much anyway. Not unless he was given a push. You knew this. After years of being by Khonshu's side, you knew everything about how he operated. Which is why you felt comfortable shifting your scheme from plan A to plan B.

Pressing one more kiss into your lover's palm, you sat up and pivoted on your butt so that your legs were out of the hawk-headed god's lap. Your feet now firmly on the floor, you paused the show on the TV as you pushed yourself up from off of the couch. You could feel Khonshu's gaze on you as you bustled your way over to the doorway of your flat. Taking it off of the hooks, you shrugged on the old coat that Marc had left behind from his last visit onto your shoulders. Bending down, you begun to slip into your shoes as the god on the couch decided to chime in.

"What are you doing, little one?" He asked you, skull tilted slightly to the side.

"Going out." you said, a small smirk on your features.

"Out?" he interrogated, "For what purpose?"

After slipping on both shoes, you stood up straight again as you grabbed your keys off of the hook.

"Well," you said, "I'm not giving up on my suggestion yet. And if you're not willing to show me some hair up on that thick skull of yours, then i'm going out to get the next best thing."

Khonshu was standing now, his staff placed firmly in his hand as he looked to you.

"(Y/N), this is absurd."

You giggled, "No Khon, what's absurd is that I'm about to make myself a traveler of the night, and you're not gonna be there to protect me."

~~~

In order to avoid weird stares from the other people that walked the streets of London, Khonshu and you had agreed long ago to not hold hands in public. No one out there other than you could see him, but they could see you clear as day. It would draw a lot of unnecessary attention to you if you were constantly seen holding hands with nothing. So, for subtlety, and to allow at least some PDA between the two of you, you and Khonshu agreed to hold pinkies instead. Something subtle, but still loving and intimate all the same. It was one of the few things you didn't have to pester the deity so much about until he finally agreed. Silly old bird.

The streets of London at night were almost -- if not just as -- lively as they were in the daytime. In the light of the full moon above, along with accompanying streetlights, you saw how all the people around you seemed to be enjoying themselves as you walked along the sidewalk, pinky held firmly in Khonshu's. There were many younger people out that hour of the night, walking along and laughing with one another like they were the only people in the world. When a group would pass by you, you would see how they payed no mind the tall bird god next to you, phasing through him like it was nothing. Granted, you were the only one that could see him, but it was still amusing nonetheless. Sometimes, the person would turn around briefly to see where the sudden change of temperature in the air came from. Them being unable to see Khonshu, they would just stare by your side with a furrowed brow, making you giggle softly to yourself every time it happened.

Usually, Khonshu would chuckle along with you. However, that evening, he didn't do so. Not even once. Staff held firmly in the hand that wasn't busy with yours, he stared straight ahead without a word as he trudged alongside you. He was grumpy about your little plan. He was throwing another one of his tantrums. You would never call it a tantrum to his face, though. You weren't that mean.

At least he wasn't teleporting around this time, and still wanted to hold your pinky. A change from the other tantrums he threw.

When the fifth drunk person of the night phased through him, he had let out a grumble of disapproval. You saw how he gripped onto his long, tall staff even firmer, and shot a warm smile up at the deity.

"Don't be so grumpy." you said to him, not bothering to keep your voice low so you don't get stares (since most people seemed to be minding their own business, at least for now), "A night out is a nice change of pace anyway. As much as I love and appreciate you setting aside a day for us, you can't keep me cooped up in my flat forever, Khon. We should get out and do more. And that doesn't include riding around with Jake."

The tall bird next to you let out another disapproving rumble, "I prefer to spend Sundays inside with you, (Y/N). I know you are aware of this."

"I am aware of that. But come on, it'll be fun! Just give it a shot. One night out isn't gonna kill you."

"We seem to have differing tastes in fun, little bug."

"Ohhh, I don't think so. Remember all that time we spent together? In Cairo? Before you found Marc in the desert?" you asked teasingly, bumping up against his arm to emphasize your point.

Khonshu let out another hum at this as he recalled all of those old, fond memories, though more pleased-sounding than the last as he leaned down to press the tip of his beak against the side of your cheek, "How could I ever forget?"

You giggled, "Exactly. And that was pretty fun, huh? So trust me when I say this will be fun too."

The god next to you looked down at you without a word. You could practically feel the gears turning in his skull, trying over and over again to come up with some sort of snobbish remark to emphasize his distaste for your little scheme. Try as he might, however, Khonshu could come up with nothing. For months now, you and him had spend Sundays indoors. As much as he did love just having you near him, holding you on the couch as some dumb form of entertainment played out before him, he did have to admit. He was getting a little bored with it. He could tell that you were bored of it too. Even if you had never complained about it before, he could see it in those eyes of yours. It made him feel a little bad. And a walk under his moon did always liven his spirits. He loved seeing the moonlight on your skin, anyhow.

So perhaps you were right about this. Even though going to such lengths to see him with hair was still absurd to him (although he realized that this was probably just some sort of excuse for you to get him and yourself out of the flat), Khonshu found himself not being able to hate the idea of a night out with you. His sweet little mortal. His one true love.

Returning his gaze to the road ahead of the pair of you, Khonshu straightened his posture as he held your pinky tighter, angling his beak to point more upright and poised.

"Very well. But only for tonight, little one." he said.

You let out a laugh as you returned your gaze to the sidewalk, "Fair enough."

Typical Khonshu.

~~~

The shop you had stopped at was one of the ones you used to frequent in your youth. It was a typical children's store; full of games, toys, and sweets to make any child drag their guardian by the wrist in through the doors, whining and begging all the while. It was a quaint little thing, even just from the view from the windows outside. Perfect for any child.

Which is why Khonshu was terribly confused when you had dragged him all the way there. He wasn't a child. He was a god. Had you forgotten?

Because the deity was too big to fit inside without being prone to accidentally knocking something over (but mostly because he claimed he didn't want to deal with such "foolishness"), he resided himself to staying outside. He watched you through the windows of the store, holding on to his staff firmly with hunched, irritated shoulders. You were sure taking your sweet time in there. He knew that you knew exactly what you were doing; making the god of the night sky wait out in the cold, damp streets of London as you perused through the aisles of the small store.

"Just wait out here," you had said to him, "I'll be back in a second."

That was twenty minutes ago now. Khonshu liked to consider himself a patient god. Unlike some of his brothers and sisters, as well as other members of the ennead, he had much more to give when it came to mortal behavior. It was a trait acquired over time, through countless years of worship and praise directed towards him and his moon and stars, as well as all the knights he had taken as his own. Hell, he figured that his patience had to have grown ten-fold over the years, since he had put up with that worm Steven Grant so long without killing him. And when it came to you, he had even more of a fuse to give.

However, Khonshu had never been one to simply sit around in the face of such shenanigans. This whole idea was ludicrous to him. He didn't even want hair.

The god grumbled to himself as the travelers of the night passed by him, laughing and shooting-the-shit amongst themselves without a care in the world.

You were lucky he loved you. Otherwise you would've been put on the short-list to feel his wrath.

After twenty-five minutes had passed, Khonshu had begun to consider going inside the store to fetch you. He knew you hated to be rushed, but right then, he probably hated waiting even more. A reprimand from you would be bliss compared to agonizingly waiting for your return. Khonshu was seriously considering it, weighing his options on an imaginary scale.

As if it was on cue, you had finally exited the shop. The god first noticed the comically large amount of bags that you had hugged close to your chest, held snug inside of the confine your arms. You had situated them all in such a way that they were nestled more-or-less in the crooks of your elbows, so that your hands were free. In your left hand, however, you held a sheer, small white paper bag. The bag was full of what appeared to be some sort of small pastry, and you used your right had to break off pieces of it to fit into your mouth. With a small smile on your face as you chewed, you crossed the street over to the disgruntled bird-man, noticing how his linen-wrapped shoulders were hunched as you found your place in front of him.

"What on earth took you so long, little bug?" The bird-man questioned, softly gesturing to your person with his staff, "And what are all those?"

You breathed out a giggle in response, finishing the bite you had took before you spoke.

"I saw a few cute things that I wanted." You said.

"A few?" Khonshu questioned.

"Yeah a few, things there are cheap! I know the owner so I get a good discount. Don't worry, I got your present too, Khon."

You reached in the small white bag and broke off another piece of the pastry, tilting its opening up at the god of the moon.

"Croissant?" you asked.

Even though Khonshu didn't have eyes, you could tell in his unamused silence that he had looked to you, then the pastry, then back to you again.

"No, thank you." he said.

Letting out another amused giggle, you briefly stood on your tip-toes and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of the god's beak, seeing how he relaxed just a tad at your display of affection.

"Come on, let's find a place for you to open your gift." you said to him, hugging the bags closer to your chest as you took another bite of your snack. Resuming your trudge down the sidewalk, Khonshu lingered behind for a brief moment, staring at the back of your head in silence. Khonshu was never one to be speechless. Everyone that had ever come across him knew this. The god of the night sky was a being of many, seemingly endless words.

But you never failed to leave him scrambling for what to say.

Sighing to himself, Khonshu repositioned his grip on his staff as he followed behind you, his long strides making him quick to meet his place by your side again. He glanced down to your height, watching as you absent-mindedly rummaged through your bag for any remaining bits of the pastry. As if you didn't have a care in the world. Nor as if you were phased in the slightest to have a literal god by your side.

Khonshu reached his hand down to you, giving you a gentle, loving caress to the small of your back.

You were lucky he loved you. But he felt equally as lucky to be loved by you.

~~~

The place you had picked out to settle down and open Khonshu's present was a spot you and Marc liked to visit when he first came to London. When Khonshu wasn't busy making him moon-knight, and he would spare himself a brief moment of relaxation, Marc liked to spend it someplace calm. Somewhere out in nature, where he could just get lost in the scenery around him and forget about his troubles, and ignore the constant squawking of the god over his shoulder. You remembered how many petty arguments you had to break up between the two of them. How many times you had to act as the middle-man when they refused to speak to one another.

They were fond memories of yours, and dumb as they were. Marc, Steven and Jake were your favorite moon knights so far, after all. They were your friends.

The dock was a place that was hard to find and hard to get to, making it the perfect spot for if you wanted to be alone. Having memorized everything about the path down there, it wasn't hard for you to make the journey with so many bags in your grasp. And, with the added help of your bird-ish lover balancing you whenever you needed, the trudge down was a piece of cake. Sure enough, the old, worn-down dock was empty, and the gentle sound of the waves of the harbor lapping against the wood was the only sound hung in the hair. The water was a dark, rich black, with the reflection of the large, shining full moon overhead glistening across its surface. This gave you just enough light to see what you were doing as you made your way to the edge of the dock, sitting down with your legs dangling a few feet above the water's surface.

Your lover sat next to you, setting is staff down behind him so that he could have his full attention on you and your present. Your bags were scattered all around your personal space now, but just far enough away so that they wouldn't interfere. All except one, of course, which held the present you had in store for the god.

"Trust me, Khon," you said, sliding the bag off of your lap and into his, "once you see this, you're gonna wish you had thought of having hair sooner."

The bird gave you a look before lowering his hands down to the bag, gentle and unsure with his movements. You could feel the skepticism pouring off of him, but you just simply looked at him with a smile as he opened the gift.

After some fiddling with the paper of the bag, Khonshu was able to free his gift from its confines. The plastic crinkling around his fingers, the god lifted up a small, square plastic bag. Inside of the bag there seemed to be some sort of dead animal. It was some kind of strange looking brown, stringy, somewhat curly pile of hair, totally synthetic in the way it shone in the light of Khonshu's moon. Upon further inspection, however, Khonshu realized that it wasn't a dead animal.

It was a wig.

The package held in his grasp, Khonshu turned his beak to look down at you again, only to be greeted with your giddy smile back up at him.

"Soooo?" you questioned, "What do you think?"

It took the deity a moment to respond to you.

"My stardust," he said, "it's... I am amused at the lengths you will take to get your way, darling."

You rolled your eyes with a playful scoff, "Khonshu, please! I can tell you don't like it!"

"I am most grateful for any offerings you wish to give me, moonstone. However, this one just seems quite... synthetic."

"Yeah, well duhhh," you said in response, gently taking the package out of the god's hands, "I can't really afford a real wig. Those things can be, like, hundreds of dollars."

Khonshu seemed a bit taken aback by that, "Hundreds?"

"Yeah, hundreds." you said in response, opening up the plastic as it crinkled and crunched in your hands, "I love you, Khon, but I'm not made of money."

The god let out a low hum, "If it is wealth you desire, my sweet, then I shall have Jake obtain it for you. You need only ask, and anything you desire shall be yours."

You giggled at your lover's sentiments, taking the cheap, synthetic wig out of the package and brushing it through with your fingers, "Come on, you know I'm not in to all that. I like just being normal. With my dingy flat and stubborn, bird-brained, god of the moon partner."

Once you felt like you had sufficiently combed through the wig, you lifted it up in front of you, using one of your hands as a make-shift stand so that you could see what it fully looked like. The thing was obviously fake material, with many frayed, jarring locks of hair jutting out in every which way. The item just barely resembled that of a medium-length, layered wolf cut, along with what seemed to be a few locks that were trying to be bangs. Even in the dim light of the moon above, you could tell that even though the wig was fresh out of the package, it had seen better days.

"Look, Khon!" you said, using your other hand in vain attempt to try and smooth some of the hair down, "These hairstyles are super trendy right now. You'll be, like, with the times and all that. Jake is gonna be floored when he sees you."

The god let out another hum, "I agree with you, little one. But I think we disagree on just why he will be floored."

You rolled your eyes playfully at Khonshu's remark, "I don't think it's gonna fit your head, though. Your skull is too fat. Hold on."

Before Khonshu could could protest at the characterization of his skull, he watched as you set the wig down on your lap, keeping it steady as your hands groped around the pockets of the jacket you wore. After checking almost all of the pockets, you let out a quiet aha as you found what you were looking for. Fumbling with the fabric, you pulled out a small, metallic sort of thing. Pushing the button on the side, it was revealed to be one of Marc's emergency knives he had tucked away in his coat for safe keeping. Keeping your hands steady, you angled the knife down at the wig in your lap. Carefully, such that you wouldn't lose your grip and accidentally cut yourself, you begun to cut away at some of the inside bits of the wig. Your jaw was clenched in concentration as Khonshu watched.

"What are you doing now?" he asked, the smallest hint of loving exhaustion in his low, rumbling voice.

"I'm trynna make this bigger," you said, "So that it'll fit your fat head."

The moon god's back stiffened at your words, long, proud beak dipping ever so slightly to one side.

"I do not have a fat head!" he exclaimed, his temper poking through making you giggle again.

"Well, maybe not to you," you said, "But compared to the size of a normal human's head, it's quite fat. Now be quiet so I can focus."

Without another word, Khonshu scoffed and looked away from you out to the moon's reflection on the water's surface, grumbling to himself some nonsense you couldn't understand. Likely in Egyptian. He often did that when he knew you were right, but didn't want to admit it out loud. The bird was just lucky none of his brothers and sisters were around to hear him be reprimanded by a mere mortal. Khonshu loved you greatly, he really did. You were one of the few he had ever been willing to put up with for such a long time.

But he was still a god. He often wondered if you forgot that part.

But he loved you enough to overlook it.

After a little longer of you cutting up the wig to make it fit, you had put down Marc's knife to admire your work. You had done a fairly good job; the wig was now wide enough to where it seemed like it would fit on Khonshu's fat head. The god would never say it out loud in order to preserve his pride, but he thought you did a good job as well. He guessed that you were more serious about this whole ordeal than he had originally thought you had been.

"Okay!" you said, "It's done! Are you ready to try it on?"

The moon deity let another disapproving rumble out from inside his chest, "Do I have to?"

"Yes." you responded matter-of-factly, pushing yourself up onto your feet.

Even whilst sitting down, Khonshu was still a fair amount taller than you were. You had to stand on your tip-toes in order to securely reach the top of his skull. Draping the synthetic mess of hair upon his head, he tried to keep very still so that it wouldn't fall off, and you would have to repeat the process all over (as tempting as discarding the infernal garment into the water below was to him). Once it was properly balanced up there, you used for fingers to try and style it as best you could. You knew he would like it more if it were at least passably good-looking.

Combing the plastic strands with your fingers one last time, you lowered yourself back flat on your feet and took a few steps away, trying to get a good look at your lover with his new head of hair. As you backed away, the god lifted up his beak again to stare ahead at you without a word.

Admittedly, you thought the color you chose did suit him. But, in every other way, it was ridiculous.

You could only go a few seconds without busting out in an amused, hearty laugh.

"Oh my god!" you said in between your giggles, "You look like you ripped the hair right off of some pop-star's head!"

Khonshu grumbled to himself again, "I knew this was a mistake."

Wiping away a few laughing-induced tears from the corners of your eyes, you shook your head, "No, no! It's not... terrible looking! It's just really jarring. I'm used to you being bald."

"There is no need to lie, moonstone."

"I'm not lying! I think it would look good if we got you a real wig!"

Reaching in your back pocket, you pulled out your phone and held it up to the god, using its black reflection as a make-shift mirror for him.

"See?" You asked, "It's not the worst thing in the world. Wish I could take a picture of you, though. To show Jake."

Peering down at his reflection in the tiny screen of your phone, Khonshu remained silent as he studied his reflection. You were right in the sense that him having any sort of hair was, in fact, jarring. His appearance hadn't changed in many hundreds of years, so it was odd to see him with a full head of scraggly, unkempt hair. Looking at himself longer, he decided that he still did not agree with you. Trying to picture himself with a better wig, he found that he didn't like the improvement much more either. He was fine with how he looked. As long as you and him thought he was handsome, he didn't feel any need to change. Hair was more of his sibling's thing, anyway.

"It is not totally dreadful, little one," he said to you, looking back to your face, "but I still do not care for it."

You let out a half-defeated sigh as you slipped your phone back into your pocket, a smile still lingering on your features, "Well, it was still worth a shot. I thought it wasn't that bad. Here, come on. I'll help you take it off."

Eager to rid himself of the itchy synthetic thing on his head, Khonshu leaned himself downwards. Still having to stand on your tip-toes, you slid the wig off of the god's skull, moving to discard of it after it had come loose. Khonshu shook himself off just a tad to get rid of any lingering scratchy-ness left behind by the wig as you set it inside of one of your bags, stretching out his shoulders after having to remain still for so long.

Once you were finished, you took a few steps back over to the god, leaning up to press a quick, warm kiss just underneath his eye socket onto his bony cheek.

"Hey," you said as you took a seat next to him, slipping your smaller hand into his, "Thank you. For at least giving it a shot."

The moon deity peered down at your smaller form, letting out another, but more content, rumble escape his chest.

"As I recall, it was you who so adamantly wanted to go out on this little venture." He said, "And it is my duty to watch over the travelers of the night."

You let out a soft laugh, "I know, but still. You couldn't said no. Been mean about it."

Khonshu unfurled his hand from yours, lifting it up to gently wrap around your plush, warm cheek with his linen-wrapped fingers.

"Never, my stardust. Never to you."

Your cheeks heating up at his touch, you smiled up at the god, nuzzling your cheek into his large palm.

"Does this mean we get to go out more often?" you asked.

Khonshu let out a hum as he leaned his beak down to you, pressing the tip against your cheek as his hand fell away from it, "Don't be overzealous, little scarab."

"Oh come on! You had fun too!"

The moon god tapped his beak against your cheek once more in response, reaching behind him to wield is staff once again. Once it was secure in his grasp, he rose up from his seated position to a stand. Bending over slightly, he offered you his hand for you to mimic his movements.

"Come, little one." He said, "The night grows old, and my moon shall soon disappear. Let us get you home. You need your rest after such an eventful excursion."

Groaning out a long fiiiineeee, you gathered up your bags in your arms again, hugging them tight to your chest. Once you felt like they were secure in your grasp, you folded your hand inside of Khonshu's, having him help you to your feet. When you were steady, the god laced his long, skinny pinky finger alongside yours, pulling your smaller body closer to his as you begun the trudge back to your flat.

"Well I had fun," you said, "And I know you did too. You can't hide it from me."

The moon god softly chuckled, "I love you, foolish mortal."

You shot him up a smile, "I love you too, bird-brain. Even though you're bald."

~~~

[utilitycaster]

I know you've touched on it in the past, and sorry for using your inbox as a sounding board, but as someone who wants to believe Marisha and Laura when they say Laudna and Imogen love each other...I'm a bit disappointed that like...3 or 4 days have gone by in game since Laudna's resurrection and neither has even attempted to make it a point to seek out the other. I could understand if they tried and got spoken over or the plot got in the way, but damn...if someone who I was traveling with and I loved, platonically or romantically, died, id probably make it a point to pull them aside and check on 'em at some point, and the otherside if id died and came back id look to the person I love for comfort.

Hi anon,

So, I am going to answer this as seriously and as respectfully as I can but I do want to note you’ve asked perhaps one of the people in the fandom most skeptical towards this ship; with the least amount of patience just like, in general; among the most willing to get into analyzing fandom response and not just what’s onscreen; and among the louder voices clamoring for more Yios content. So I want to set the expectation that I greatly enjoyed this episode and am a somewhat unsympathetic ear. I am truly honored you wanted me as a sounding board, but also very confused. Unless you want a perspective you know will be very different than yours, in which case, genuinely, mad respect.

(below a cut because this is like a page and a half long)

This was a fast-paced episode that skewed heavily towards logistics, and there were very few opportunities for serious one-on-one conversations of any sort. I also am just guessing here, but I think that Laura is somewhat cognizant of how up front Imogen has been in this campaign in general and specifically (and understandably) during the most recent few episodes, and is trying to be thoughtful about taking up more screen time. Similarly, as Marisha said on this week’s 4-Sided Dive, Laudna feels almost embarrassed at how much work her friends had to go through to bring her back, and is unlikely to ask for more help right now.

Imogen and Laudna’s relationship has always, in my opinion, been marked by their mutual terror of getting too real and actually revealing their feelings to each other; they are, as of yet, wholly unwilling to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known. It feels entirely in character that Imogen’s more than willing to snipe at Ashton or FCG for their good-faith attempts to help Laudna that don’t line up with her own understanding, or to force a potato-based meal on the whole party without even asking Laudna if she’ll be upset by a lobster dinner, but won’t, well, actually ask Laudna if she’ll be upset by a lobster dinner. 

These are two desperately lonely people who found each other and cling to each other, but who cannot have an honest emotional conversation. They apologized for the gnarlrock fight, but never addressed the underlying issues. And with Delilah seemingly gone, there goes that excuse, and if there’s another fight? It’s just going to be between them, and they will need to grapple with it. 

For what it’s worth, I hope they do. I actually would be thrilled to find something that makes me care about Imogen and Laudna as a romantic ship, and I think that if a catalyst (conflict, probably) were to happen to force them both to be even a little honest with each other, it could absolutely blossom into a love both compelling and wonderful. But Laudna’s death is not that thing. They still both see themselves as the protector of the other - in fact that’s likely to have worsened, not improved, what with their respective feelings of guilt -  without ever actually articulating it to each other. They can only talk about their pasts in terms of the immediate actionable items (get rid of Delilah, find your mother). They’ve never, in almost 40 episodes, really talked about how they feel (they've each said more to FCG and Ashton; it's telling that Imogen's greatest moments of honesty are in Imahara Joe's basement in the immediate aftermath of Laudna's death). And without something to force the issue, I think as time goes on it will get harder, rather than easier, because how do you say “hey, Laudna? I hate how my powers make me feel and I’m drowning here and you keep telling me I’m so capable” after 2+ years of tightly smiling and letting it pass? Honestly, it’s telling that the fandom saw Laudna as cheerful in the past, instead of almost manic at times; I suspect Imogen is making this same mistake.

I also know that a significant portion of the fandom is obsessed with this ship, and Laudna has some very…passionate fans, shall we say. But I don’t actually think the cast is terribly obsessed with this ship. Which isn’t to say they do or don’t like it or that it will or won’t happen in canon! But it is to say that the cast is well aware that this is Critical Role and not the Imodna Show. The fandom may forget, but the cast is quite aware that there are five other characters and twenty other one-on-one PC relationships that exist, not to mention that Imogen and Laudna do in fact exist as individuals with lives that do not solely revolve around each other.

I should also for that matter just note that I outright detest the dual and probably intertwined fandom trends of “My ship characters ONLY care about each other and no one else in the party” and “The plot should stop short and everyone should focus on my favorite character,” and here’s the thing: the plot did, in fact, stop mostly short and everyone did focus on Laudna for most of the last four episodes. And to be clear, focusing on bringing back Laudna makes perfect sense, and I'm not saying that you're doing this. But it does mean my patience for “but what about Laudna” is, right now, at something of a nadir. I would like to see the focus shift to other characters for a bit and, as mentioned, I think the cast is also cognizant of that.

The last thing I want to cover is that look, you’re on anon, and I don’t know you, and I am not positioning myself as a paragon of 100% healthy coping mechanisms and radical emotional honesty, and the fact that my favorite characters per campaign have been, respectively, Vex, Fjord, and Ashton is fairly revealing. But: would you reach out to your closest friend after a wildly traumatic and destabilizing event if you explicitly saw yourself as trying to make their life better than yours had been? Would you do this in the wake of a second tragedy with a permanent dead body just before you got on a long distance flight to Math Orc City, after having been tasked to kill your murderer? Or would you perhaps be kind of subdued withdrawn? Because I’d be the latter, and, having been openly frustrated with Laudna in the past, I love Marisha's choice to play Laudna this way and think it feels very real and interesting.

So to sum it all up: if you don’t have Imodna-colored shipping goggles onto which you have glued horse blinders to block out the rest of the party, this episode was great. I think that the choice to neither have Laudna reach out to Imogen, nor Imogen reach out to Laudna, nor for any real Laudna-centric conversations with anyone to have happened yet is very understandable for many in and out of game reasons. (This is already too long so I’m not even going into depth about how Bells Hells is very closed off as a group but: they are and that’s relevant) It’s absolutely valid if you’re disappointed, but I do not share this disappointment, even a little bit.