#I love their depressed traumatized era

[smolmakerel]

Everyone absolutely puts Sam and Tara through the ringer with their trauma. Like, yeah, I still eat that content up, but I need to see some more posts about them being absolute menaces in general.

I have 2 siblings and they're pains in my ass. We could fist fight and then not speak for an hour, and then one of them comes to me like, "hey, wanna go to McDonald's" and I'd drive us there while we blast the music.

Sam and Tara, before all that shit with their family happened, most likely had some chaotic sister moments. They grew up as sisters (obviously) and know everything about each other. This leads to the Natural Sibling Chaos (tm).

Sam and Tara, watching their mom yell at them about the concerning amount of windows they broke:

Tara, trying not to laugh:

Sam: What?

Tara silently mocks Christina's angry mom face to Sam. Sam is trying not to laugh now because why the hell is Christina making that face.

Also in the future when Sam comes back and they have Trauma and Body Counts under their belts, they get more chaotic.

Tara: I have a solution to take care of our new Ghostface problem.

Sam, relieved: Gracias a Dios, what is it?

Tara: It involves fire.

Sam, slowly getting worried: Ok...

Tara: And the bomb I learned how to make at 3 am last night.

Sam: You made a WHAT?

[acid-ixx]

again &. again masterlist

by the bird and the bee

ft. platonic soft! yandere batfam! x gn! neglected reader

— TRIGGER WARNINGS !

- emotional neglect, allusions to sexual assault, prostitution & physical abuse, kidnapping, alcohol abuse, drugging, themes of depression, dissociation, vague traumatic events, mentions of murder, other warnings would be added soon.

— CHAPTERS ! ; 34k+ words

00. — oh, please leave me be.

01. — because you only notice me once i'm out the door.

02. — and you don't even remember my face?

03. — i need a drink, away from everyone.

04. — mors tua, vita mea / your death, my life.

— DRABBLES ! ; #series: again &. again

dick grayson calling you his baby bird

why now? (yan! damian wayne)

brutus (villain au concept)

brutus: out for blood

what if you were never neglected?

just a taste (yan! conner kent - suggestive)

laughter is the best medicine (yan! dick grayson, jason todd, tim drake, damian wayne)

to you, my greatest passion (non-neglected au-verse)

brutus: both arms cradle you now

bruce finding your graduation picture

how to be a heartbreaker! (yandere harem)

— ASKS ! ; #series: again &. again

dick's spiral into yandere-ism

leaving gotham, resenting alfred, changing last names

your mysterious identity &. conner being your love interest

dick seeing you as a child & damian's need to be your favorite

damian and his cool, matching bracelets

does dick close the door on you? nah, he doesn't even know you were behind the door

wally west as your love interest

you care now?

conner as your angry, protective bf

jason trying his damn best to be a brother to you

calling bruce by his last name only

calling alfred your dad ft. jealous bruce

how are damian and jason obsessed towards you

their nicknames for you

how bruce and damian would try to bond with you

will you still go to college after being kidnapped?

— INCORRECT QUOTES ! ; #a&a: incorrect quotes

yan! villains kidnapping you

hostage situation

how to become a target to the wayne family

— FANART ! ; #a&a: fanart

happy birthday by @luffyadolover

diary by @luffyadolover

another reason they're broke &. finished art by @oh-nowo-i-got-uwu

a take on the reader's appearance by @luffyadolover

reader trying to study ft. the batfam's endless calls &. finished art by @ghostdoodlen

reader finding bruce and damian watching a movie by @luffyadolover

again &. again mv by @luffyadolover

reader and their playlist by @luffyadolover

a comic panel by @lucioleestolie

conner and reader flying through the skies by @ghostdoodlen

when all of a sudden, i hear this agitating noise by @punpunsonny

villain au reader by @lazyemmy

a&a oc: emile by @questionthegrapevine

graduation pic, conner comfort, and mirrors by @ghostdoodlen

neglected &. non-neglected reader by @lazyemmy

— TAGLIST ! ; taglist is closed!

@.lilyalone, @.secretomelettetroops, @.earlqurl, @.simpingfor-wakasa, @.amber-content, @.ruiroku, @.okaybutfullhomo, @.trasshy-artist, @.obsessedwithromance, @.jjsmeowthie, @.fairy-lenaa, @.ilovvmyhusband, @.6uuyuuhgy, @.plsfckmedxddy, @.lavender-moony, @.sweetheart-era, @.chemicalsandghosts, @.darling006, @.starringyau, @.samanthahanes, @.rosecentury, @.jaythes1mp, @.pi1nkl0ver, @.i-thirsty-boy, @.sharks-are-cool-l, @.silverklaus, @.samanthathanes, @.traumaramacenter, @.maddimoon, @.anxrq, @.thedarknesslord, @.h0rr0r-10ver-69, @.lazy-idate, @.cupids-pretty-boy, @.alishii, @.mel-star636, @.sitepathos, @.freakyotaku059-blog, @.dirtydiavolo, @.sunbleachedantlers, @.24hrsoflanii, @.ceramic-raven, @.une-lueur-dans-la-nuit, @.tdickensstuff4, @.thickerthanthieves, @.arlandvery, @.distressed-lezbo, @.bunbunboysworld, @.bellethesleepypotato, @.naina326, @.nebuluma, @.alliwantisadonut, @.alishii, @.kusakiguzen, @.sirenetheblogger, @.emmbny, @.ryukyuin, @.solkara, @.starsdotalk

[comphetkoncass]

if you are a batfam enjoyer i cannot stress enough that their friends and love interests are off having their own adventures. constantly.

and if you are trying to convince us that they are friends or in love. you should probably have them take an interest in their lives.

if you set your fic in an era that’s meaningful for a bat, and are trying to do a fix-it so that their love interest is there for them, and are completely oblivious that in this era said love interest was dead/lost/kidnapped/in space/horrifically traumatized/written out of existence/depressed beyond measure/mind controlled to be a supervillain … i am judging you. just a little.

bat storylines are not the only storylines that matter when you are having them interact with someone outside of gotham.

you can’t convince me that they’re in love with the other half of your ship if the bat in your fic knows nothing about their partner’s life.

[angelsdean]

i talk a lot abt cas's canonical interest in bees representing a tragic desire to return to the simplicity and familiarity of heaven's hierarchical structure but that's not to say he can't genuinely develop a love for bees later in life. i just harp on about it a lot because i find that the whole "honey!cas" era gets mis-represented in fanon / fandom as this cute wholesome time for cas when it was actually, a deeply depressing and traumatic time where he felt so utterly defeated and helpless after so many things going wrong as a result of his own actions. but he can still like bees, later. give them new meaning for him etc etc.

[expectopatronum18]

Unpopular opinion but......

Am I the only one who misses the og marauders? The marauders fandom isn't even about the marauders now, 99% of their canon personality traits hv been replaced with cliqued behaviour. For some reason there's a massive obsession with their sexuality and I just don't get it? Lyk can't u have a character with any sexual orientation with personality traits outside it anymore? Does there really need to be a complete erasure of their most defining traits? I just wish we could get the actual marauders era characters back

James Potter: Pureblood, rich, intelligent, arrogant, a bully, but extremely loyal; took Sirius in and turned into an animagus for his werewolf bestie when the whole world would have shunned him; he could have led a life of utmost comfort but chose to risk his life and fight for those he loved in a war that didn't even concern him personally. His last words were asking his wife and child to escape while he tried to hold voldy off without a wand

Sirius Black: Haughty, a bully, extremely good looking, cool, rich, blood traitor by 16, comes from a family of literal death eaters, very intelligent, loyal, will do anything for those he loves( especially james and later Harry), thick as hell (my boy really survived in a depression prison for 12yrs, tht too after all the horror he'd seen before that), dark, very traumatized and broken

Remus Lupin: Gentle (yup u read that right), kind, mischievous (ppl really overlook this), very insecure, let james and Sirius bully Snape coz he was too thankful for their acceptance and affection to tell them off, considered himself undeserving of love, his self loathing prevents him from being a responsible adult/ parent for Harry, lowkey manipulative. Very compassionate and empathetic even after everything he's been thru tho

Peter Pettigrew: Considered slow and stupid, insecure, tags along with the others for protection, but obviously cunning and manipulative, a disgusting rat tho

Regulus Black: Teenage Reggie worshipped death eaters, he had newspaper clippings of them on his wall, completely believed in those racist ideologies until he realised what the reality of being a death eater was. He tried to bring voldy down but there's no evidence of him completely changing his beliefs about everything else like muggle borns, muggles, werewolves etc. Very cunning and intelligent tho, he discovered voldemort's secret before Dumbledore did. Liked kreacher but kreacher was also brainwashed with pureblood ideology, so I ll only give him half the credit. Bravely sacrificed his life in the end, but he still chose to protect his racist family.

Lily Evans: muggleborn, good at portions, described as popular and vivacious, pretty, the favourite sibling, isn't afraid of standing up to ppl (tht smirk in swm tho?), very brave, and most importantly (ppl really choose to forget this nowadays) a mother who stood in front of her baby boy in hopes of saving him from the darkest wizard alive even tho she herself was only 21 at the time, tht too right after losing her husband. Tho I'd still say that lily is a badly written character

It's fun to explore characters but not one of these core characteristics r even present. They're turned into one dimensional social justice warriors who r always right in everything they do

Now I get it, ppl want them to fit with current day ideals, but y not just create different/new characters then? What's the point of holding on to that nostalgia if most of their character isn't even there anymore? Where's all the toxicity coming from? And anyone who doesn't agree is homophobic and whatever other -phobic u choose to employ in the most irrelevant context ever. It's all so stupid smh🙄

[blossoms-phan]

i was going through my snapchat memories from last year trying to find something and i was reminded that I had a really awful traumatizing experience in december that required a lot of healing really haven’t been the same since but almost every single day of that month I took a picture of my setup watching the new gamingmas video in my cozy safe room space and that’s just one lowkey depressing example but dnp have truly gotten me through so much and always been there for me at the end of the day idc how parasocial that sounds I’ve had so many countless nights over the past 10 years just rewatching their videos for comfort and I was so so young when I started watching them but their mere presence on the internet and the culture of the phandom taught me so much love and light and I’m just so happy to still be here in quite literally the best era of the phandom when they’re being their most authentic free and happy selves and I’ve made so many lovely friends on here and I really can’t believe im going to see them in person for the first time tomorrow and be surrounded by other phannies who share my special interest of these two lovely wonderful people who have nothing to apologize for bc they’ve been the best influence on my life

[hopefull-mindset]

I've started reading The Great Gatsby (I've fallen into the reading classical literature trap 😔. I really need to finish Crime and Punishment.)

Anyhow I think it's really interesting how Asagiri chose to characterize many of the people in BSD. Especially after learning that irl Fitzgerald was more of a cynical person (at least towards the end of his life) than his animated counterpart. And it made me think of all the other characters of the show and how their characterized.

What was Asagiri's purpose as he came together with these characters? Why'd he have some characters act as their irl counterparts while others act more like the characters they wrote or people in their lives?

These aren't really questions that I wanted the answers to they were moreso just thoughts that I had. I'd love to have a peek into this man's mind and how it works

I think a lot of us have fallen into that trap LMAO. This is my favorite topic though. I could talk about this forever because Kafka Asagiri is an interesting person who has integrated a lot of literature into this one series. I don't know what goes on in this man’s mind and I know these aren't literal questions, but I am interested in sharing what I know!

As you've pointed out, some characters do act more like the people in these works written by them than the actual people. BSD isn't purely just taking these authors, their relationships, and then implementing them just like that. it also takes these authors’ literary personas, their impact socially, and their works to make them into who they are. Asagiri is doing this because it makes it more interesting, but also imagine writing about this authors where most of them lived depressing lives with qualities that don’t make uh, the type of story you want to tell.

I’m impressed with how creative he is.

I’m trying to limit myself on how much I should talk about this, but I fear that I’ll leave out important bits about how Asagiri incorporates these people into the work. I’m also just jittering and excited. Like I almost forgot to bring up the fact the reason BSD has a war narrative is because it takes Japanese authors from Meiji to Shōwa era, so about the time Western influence kicked in, forcing them to modernize and keep up with the rest of the world during what is a fairly short time for huge development like this, to post-war Japan where, you know, the Occupation of Japan is happening and they have to intake the traumatic repercussions of everything before that.

This can make The Great War functionally WW2, but obviously not a one to one match. I’m not a historian or anything, but this should come to mind for anyone who’s in the know about some Japanese history. Now that I’m bringing it up though, Mori’s attitude during the flashback with Yosano is put into context because he pretty much says himself that he needs his country to realize that they keep up with the rest of the world and that the battlefield is changing, and real life Japan did not care about how they did that.

With N, Chuuya, and Stormbringer too. I’m almost hesitant to bring this up because it’s so serious, but yes, Japan did do lethal human experimentation for that same purpose to keep up with the rest of the world and prove themselves.

Ahh, I went off track. Sorry, we were talking about how Asagiri writes characters, right? There is a lot of crossover between the real authors and their writing, so it’s sorta hard to tell with people like Dazai where the work influence ends and the the real person begins.

For me currently in my classic lit research period, I’m almost upset at myself for barley reading anything by Ryuunosuke Akutagawa because he’s my favorite character. I’ve just been so caught up doing my Oda Sakunosuke essay that I don’t have too much time for other authors. I’ve also picked up “The Similitude of Blossoms: A Critical Biography of Izumi Kyōka” recently (and A New Hamlet by Osamu Dazai, but that’s not important).

Ah, how much should I talk about.… hmm… how about Chuuya as an example of Literary Voice vs Real Person…. Lucy Montgomery and Edgar Allen Poe for Social Impact (for Japan specifically)…. and then.. Oh whatever, I’ll figure it out. One day I’ll talk about Kyouka, but not now. I’d feel ill prepared.

If you’ve ever read a poem by Chuuya Nakahara, taken in the emotion and deep feeling, and then found any fun facts about his interactions with other authors, there’s a huge contrast between those two modes that can be jarring. Im sure you can tell how that carries over to BSD. I’m impressed by how Asagiri is able to balance both the brash attitude of Chuuya and the inner literary voice that voices the emotion and care he has in him.

Edgar Allen Poe is slightly more obvious than Lucy’s influence (or maybe it’s Lucy’s, ah it depends), but both pop out at you when it’s pointed out. He was one of the first American authors to be introduced to Japan and fairly popular, but mainly we would point to Edogawa Ranpo as the most blatantly influenced by him and who his name is quite literally attached to. While Lucy Montgomery isn’t attached to anyone in particular, Anne of The Green Gables was wildly distributed in Japan when there were few english children books and became a hit.

There’s a television series too if you search for it. Any redhead, pigtail-braided girl you see in some Japanese media is because of her! It’s probably why these two have the most presence in the story currently compared to other members of the Guild and work with the Agency at times.

There are times when Asagiri will use influences outside of the author’s own catalog to create them, some literary like Albert Camus’s The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus (in writing characters like Dazai or Fyodor, I could make a post about that), and some just of his own anime/manga interests in other series like Jojo, Cowboy Bebop, Black Lagoon, etc. if you’re familiar.

I’d feel bad if I don’t at least show one example of this so, how about an Odasaku example with The Long Goodbye by Reymond Chandler? I was going to avoid talking about him until the essay, but I can’t help myself. Many have pointed out these parallels before, but Asagiri did point it to be his favorite book last year in an interview.

If you’ve noticed that the presentation for Dark Era in the anime comes off like a Noir film just like how Untold Origins came off like a black and white samurai film, good job! The Long Goodbye is a Noir novel about a detective named Phillip Marlowe who is unable to let go of a case involving a friend that was accused of murdering his own wife, but supposedly commits suicide and confesses to it before Marlowe is able to leave custody. By the end of the book, he uncovers the real perpetuator (a past lover of Terry Lennox’s before he was ever called by that name) and finds out where Lennox really is by poking into the story of where the message he got was sent.

He comes in with a new look and identity, and he asks if it’s too early for a gimlet. They say their last few words to each other, Marlowe flipping back and forth from acknowledging him as Terry Lennox and as a person he never knew, and then Marlowe tells him that “he’s not here anymore”. Marlowe had already told him goodbye when it was sad and lonely, so Lennox does the same here. That ends that mutual, long goodbye and he never sees Lennox again.

The immediate response I’ve see about this is how it parallels the relationship between Dazai and Odasaku. In The Day I Picked Up Dazai, just like how Marlowe brings him to his home to clean him up and meet up at the same bar for the next few months of their friendship, Odasaku also does so with Dazai and drinks a Gimlet for reasons he doesn’t know. In reality, Gimlets are a representation of the friendship between Marlowe and Lennox as it’s Lennox’s favorite drink. It makes it a little painful when Marlowe ignores him when he ask to go get a gimlet at that same bar they always went.

BEAST is more hyper specific about it by having Dazai ask the same question that Lennox asks when he gets smoked out and Odasaku asking for a gimlet with no bitters, which is specifically how Lennox takes it. Odasaku does not drink the gimlet at all though, showing that there is not friendship to start or accept or say goodbye to, as Lennox does ask Marlowe to drink a Gimlet to say goodbye to him in the letter. Just like TDIPUD is like their beginning, BEAST is their ending without ending because BEAST Dazai is not the same person he was friends with.

Odasaku fulfills being a detective and Dazai is the tragic friend with a past he doesn’t say anything about. Great. Now what I think people are missing when they entirely focus on Odasaku and Dazai when they talk about Lennox and Marlowe is that Lennox is narratively also Andre Gide.

If we were to split Lennox into three people just like his three identities, this is what it would look like:

The Friend: You help him out and don’t judge for his faults, in turn you go out to a bar with each other. It’s uneasy, but it’s worth a lot to the both of you. Eventually you have to part ways in death. (Dazai & Terry Lennox)

The Unknown: Is he someone you know? He acts like it, but he looks nothing like what you’ve encounter before. Maybe in some world you were, but that’s not now and it’s too late for this goodbye to be playing out. You let it happened though and you never see him again when he walks out that door. (BEAST Dazai & “Señor Maioranos”)

The Soldier: The past is right around the corner and its come to bite you in the ass. White hair and war memories haunting him with a scar as a reminder, he’s a reflection of you but maybe not. Who knows? (Andre Gide & “Paul Marston.”)

The initials “P.M.” of both his past name and Phillip Marlowe’s is meant to clue in how Eileen (the past lover) is connected to Lennox by her thinking of Marlowe as her past lover as she attempts to seduce him in some trance. What I’m trying to note here though is that you can take this as Lennox being another reflection of himself. It’s easy to do that reading for both Dazai and Gide as they’re both his foils and are purposely similar, but Gide aligns more with this past identity than Dazai does and retains his white hair.

Uhhh, wasn't planning to make a mini-analysis in the middle of my talking but okay. I'm leaving it off there. I went blank a lot while writing because I didn’t know what I wanted to comment on. There's too much to say about this large cast. I have way more literary fun facts and ideas to say, but nah.

[folkwhore1998]

All I do is try try try

I will literally never forget the first time I listened to folklore. I went for a walk around the pond outside in my neighborhood and it was cold as hell. It was such a vibe you guys. I would do anything to be able to listen to this album again. Take me to the ponds where all the poets went to die.

It is so different than anything else Taylor Swift has ever done honestly. I feel it is the lyricism of Last Kiss and All Too Well but they were introduced to depression and anxiety. Am I wrong? It is hard for me to say it is an album that divided our fandom because it brought in so many fans, but i also feel there are a lot of fans who prefer other albums over folklore.

I can totally see why and how folklore brought in so many new fans. #1 It is a completely new sound from Taylor (which is how I can maybe see why some people were divided) #2 We were all depressed during COVID and this album was a really good friend to so many people during this time. #3 It took people by surprise because there was no promo for the album. She just said "Here!" I think that there was a lot of curiosity that came with the release which brought in new listeners.

There are two songs on this album I will ride at dawn for: hoax and peace

YOU KNEW THE PASSWORD SO I LET YOU IN THE DOOR. YOU KNEW YOU WON SO WHATS THE POINT OF KEEPING SCORE? I'll admit, I was not always a hoax truther. It just didn't click. But one day I had the album on shuffle and there was a switch that was flipped in my brain and wow it is just so good. Like hello? DID YOU HEAR WHAT SHE SAID?

Peace is such a vulnerable song and we don't talk about that enough. It is like asking am I going to be good enough? but so much more than that. Taylor is a well loved celebrity and it isn't something she cannot change about herself. It is a major part who she is. "Will you accept the intrusive parts of myself and my life that I will never ever be able to change? I would literally die for you and I love your family as my own and I would do anything for you, but is my love enough? I'd also like to talk about epiphany. I personally don't relate to it a lot and I don't listen to it a lot, but I recently saw a video of someone saying "it's the worst song she's ever written" which absolutely infuriated me. Did I rank it last? Yes. I rank everything on how I personally connect with the song, not in terms of "I think this is a bad song." Just because I don't connect, does not mean it is a bad song. It is actually an incredibly deep song that I think resonates with a lot of medical professionals as well as people who lost loved ones during COVID. It talks about a loss so unfathomable or event so traumatic that you literally can't speak about it. And for someone to say it's the worst song she's ever written is honestly senseless and offensive and infuriating. (Respectfully)

☆ Fun fact: Whenever I am showing folklore to someone for the first time, I always play the LPSS version. The vocals are so raw and I feel like you can really feel the lyrics differently, and you can really hear what she just- which I find to be extremely important with this album.

Here are my rankings of

folklore:

illicit affairs

the 1

my tears ricochet

this is me trying

august

peace

betty

hoax

cardigan

mirrorball

the lakes

mad woman

seven

exile (the live version is a different story...one of her best performances)

invisible string

the last great american dynasty

epiphany

Folklore era favs:

lol

MAGICAL

actually sobbing. everything about this. they're all so appreciative and proud. sidenote: one of her best looks ever. dare I say it's my favorite?

no notes.

if you know, you know.

Yes.. I know we need to get through Fall, but it's never too soon to start planning. Taylor said so!

☆ Here is the direct link to the folklore cardigan Christmas ornaments pictured above:

☆ Here is the direct link to the folklore stocking pictured above:

@taylornation @taylorswift

[elliespuns]

Personally this might just be me, but I really can’t imagine Ellie having sex with Dina at the farm. Yes Ellie does show affection by kissing her neck but otherwise I really can’t see it😭

I’m sure they have done it a couple times, but yet again Ellie was still somewhat depressed. I don’t think she really was into it she might’ve been but I don’t doubt it. Grief is a weird thing & I really wouldn’t blame Ellie if she wasn’t directly in the moment-🕸️

Right? It's realistic for their sex life to be completely pushed aside at the farm. Dina wouldn't probably initiate anything, knowing how much she loved Joel. Dina seems like the kind of person who lets you deal with what you need and is there for you. And unless Ellie starts something (as I doubt), I don't think the two of them had sex for a while. At least not at the beginning of the farm era.

When we see Ellie, Dina, and JJ at the farm, you can tell it's been a while since they've settled there. So, maybe before Tommy comes over to talk shit into Ellie's head, they could have been intimate in the meantime.

They had some good days together, I bet. You could notice it from the way Ellie danced around Dina, kissing her neck and flirting with her. She probably hasn't had a bad flashback in a long time (until the barn scene).

I think Ellie and Dina, being in their 20s, definitely had sex at some point at the farm. But what I imagine when I say sex is the sweet kind. Like a lot of kissing, cuddling, and affection. This sex usually happens unintentionally and naturally. What I can't imagine is them going wild on each other because it doesn't seem like the sex traumatized Ellie would have.

What I can't stop thinking about, though, is them having sex with JJ just a few feet away from their bed. I hope the girls behaved.

[puntointerrogativo]

“we’re still debating certain things about whether certain events happened, but seeds are placed.” S.R.

“When you find [Lestat] in Episode 8, where is he?” Reid asks. “Has he come back to his own maker’s prison by his own choice, or is he put there? We’ve left space for that to be explored. I think it’s more interesting — and Rolin probably does as well, and it probably took me a longer time to get around this — to continue to give each individual character their own agency rather than saying, this person is the victim of this person, or this is the baddie and this is the goodie” S.R.

“Did Louis stage the Dubai interview because he had a hunch about Armand’s lie? Anderson says, “Yeah, I do,” in response to that question, and he’s been theorizing this since filming the Season 1 finale. Louis has never seen this interview as the chronicling of a suicide like Armand (as Rashid) described it, according to Anderson […] Suspecting Armand “was something that I started to get a sense of when we did that Season 1 Episode 7 moment of ‘the love of my life,’ because Rolin always talks about that as the end of The Graduate,” Anderson continues. “I was like, ‘Oh, it’s a cry for help.’ He found the person that he knew could draw the truth out of everyone, including himself.” J.A.

“that Armand was “forced” to direct the trial and that all of his subsequent punishment from the coven was “absolutely true. He directed it, but it wasn’t his choice to do it,” Zaman says.” A.Z.

Mmm, very interesting tvinsider article - first of all huge, GIGANTIC kudos to Sam because not knowing if your character’s doing what he’s doing by choice or if he’s being forced and tortured must not make it easy to do your job 😵‍💫 (not to mention the fun of trying to answer press questions, poor man).

Sooo, let’s say we go with this version and leave the books behind. It goes more or less like this:

The coven makes Armand choose, and he decides to sell Claudia and Louis out.

They “call” Lestat to testify, and he comes - because what else can he do? The trial will happen with or without him and if he’s there there’s a chance he can save them.

Armand directs the play. This one I’m a bit meh about but ok, he needs to prove himself, he has the experience, sadistic punishment, yadda, yadda…

Lestat and Armand don’t do the smart thing and work together against the coven presumably because previous history (Nicky) means Lestat doesn’t trust him. Also, from what we’ve seen they’re both kinda terrible at planning.

Lestat has limited energy and a choice to make - he chooses to save Louis. He has to watch Claudia burn. By now the coven knows better than to trust him and he’s either too traumatized or too drained (or both) to do much else. We don’t know if he faced retaliation from the coven.

Armand finally gets off his ass and frees Louis.

Louis goes feral and kills the coven. He’s convinced Armand was the one who saved him and wants revenge on Lestat.

He gets it in the only way he can: by going after his deepest fear. Lestat has handed him that weapon on a plate back in season 1 and it’s not the first time he goes after that particular soft spot.

Lestat feels guilty enough for both the 1x05 fall and Claudia to accept the punishment as due. He doesn’t tell Louis it was him who saved his life.

Louis traps himself in a 77 years long spite based relationship that he can’t leave without-in his head- letting Lestat win.

By 1973 he’s depressed enough and starved for connection enough to try the Interview and then walk into the sun.

Armand wipes his memories (probably consensually, extent uncertain) after calling Lestat - just to make sure Louis remembers why he can’t leave him.

Lestat thinks he died after he left him to Armand’s tender mercies. If he wasn’t in his rat-eating depression era before he surely is now.

By 2021 Louis has become, at least subconsciously, suspicious enough to contact Daniel for a second interview.

Daniel proves Louis really has an eye for spotting talent and gets him out of that farce of a marriage.

[kalena-henden]

Shows I finished in 2024 so far...

A Good Day to be a Dog - A woman accidentally kisses her co-worker and turns into a dog during the night due to a family curse. She has to get her co-worker to kiss her as a dog to break stay human full-time or she will permanently remain a dog after 100 days. The first two-thirds were fun hijinks and a cute romance. The final third with the past life curse origin was a drag. Still upset the mountain god didn't apologize after wrongly punishing the wrong people due to his misunderstanding.

My Demon - A high powered business woman becomes entangled with a deal-making demon when she saves him and his powers transfer to her. This show stole plot heavily from shows like Goblin and Doom at Your Service and failed to do make those concepts their own. However, I still enjoyed it to the end, mostly due to the chemistry between the leads. They had such a fun and lively relationship.

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract - A Joseon-era bride who is widowed on her wedding day is transported to the future where she falls for a man who looks exactly like her dead husband. The story was okay but I was mainly here for the chemistry between the leads.

Fixer Upper: Hotel - Chip and Jo work their magic on an entire hotel. I love seeing the process and the design is beautiful as always.

Memorist - A detective who can see people's thoughts when he touches them teams up with a genius profiler to take down murders. As mysteries unfold and truths are revealed, everything is not as it seems forcing them to confront their traumatic pasts. I binged this in 4 days. The first half is dark but, just when I thought I had the villains pegged, the story opens up to explore the various sides of people to reveal the good, the bad, and the morally grey. I'm still thinking about this months later. I especially loved our detective/profiler team. I really want to rewatch.

Be Melodramatic - This a satire on the entertainment industry, grief, motherhood, and love that is done with 100% deadpan humor which is why I thought the concepts were interesting but fell flat due to not connecting with the humor. This took me almost 9 months to finish.

Death's Game - A man kills himself and then is given 12 chances to survive in someone else's body or he will be sent to hell. It's an anti-suicide version of A Christmas Carol. It was okay. While a host of great actors shine in their guest roles, it was maddening that the man didn't seem to learn along the way until the last body. Where the story ended felt like a copout. If this were a movie where you don't have much time, I would understand, but I wanted to see what would happen next. We needed just one more episode.

Marry My Husband - A woman with terminal cancer is murdered by her husband and best friend who were having an affair, when she is transported back in time before she was married to change her fate and find the love she deserves. This was such a great revenge story. Some of the best villains in kdramaland. A cute romance with a man who adores her. Real friendships. And the OSTs will stick with you.

Queen of Divorce - It started off okay but went downhill quickly. Honestly, such a waste of a great cast.

Daisy Jones & The Six - An interesting look at a fictional 70s rock band as they rise to the top before flaming out. I had listened to the audiobook but I liked the series better.

Doctor Slump - Two young doctors who were academic rivals in high school find themselves grappling with depression and fall in love as they heal together. This was a solid, even keel show for me. I enjoyed their healing journey and their romance.

Live Your Own Life - An outcast chaebol whose parents died in a mysterious car crash falls for his hardworking trainer who needs to learn to become independent from her family. I watched this 50-episode family drama for Ha Joon. There were some interesting things that kept me watching but it was just okay.

Princess Hours - The crown prince and a young artist, who are both high school seniors, navigate the complexities of an arranged marriage and court politics in modern day Korea. This was a really interesting study in how people can change and grow and fall in love as they grapple with the expectations of a nation. It's an old school kdrama and alot is meant to be inferred. It's almost as much about what is not shown or said as much as what is which was frustrating at times. However, when someone explained things, everything started to click for me and I saw all the things that were implied increasing my enjoyment.

Wedding Impossible - A gay chaebol asks his best friend to marry him to hide his sexuality from everyone. His brother who wants him to marry someone else for his own good decides to break them up by seducing his brother's fiance. It's a ridiculous premise with a fun, bickering enemies to lovers couple. It lags a bit in the last part but I still enjoyed this romance. Moon Sang Min is a new fave.

High School King of Savvy - A high school hockey player is asked by his older brother to pretend to be him at his job as a corporate executive while he investigates something nefarious. The high schooler then has to juggle both school and work life as he unexpectedly falls for his brother's secretary. This is a crazy, age-gap romance with Seo In Guk. The only reason the romance works is because both the leads are so pure hearted and kind. Lee Soo Hyuk is doing his best sexy, self-sabotaging second male lead, who even smiles! It was a bit much but it settled down in the second half and I loved the big found family feel of the cast.

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - The first half was interesting with many characters’ selfish and dark intentions mixed with a little mystery were set up in contrast to our optimistic, self-sacrificing female lead. However, the second half drowned in major events happening and then being dismissed as if they never happened, multiple secret keepers refusing to tell the secret multiple times an episodes even when asked point blank when the answers could stop so many bad things from happening, and the existential dread I felt about what the big reveal was going to be only for it to completely dismissed. I knew this was a tragedy going in but still I felt angry and exhausted by the end.

Vigilante - A police university student decides to take the law into his own hands after his mother's murderer is let back on the streets to avenge her and other's like her who have been failed by the justice system. A manhunt for him ensues, bringing together an unlikely and at times unhinged group who decides to reveal the truth and bring justice. At 8 episode (six hours total), it felt like it was just starting to gel by the end. Definitely set up for more potential seasons after Nam Joo Hyuk gets out of the military.

Love Me Love Me Voice - A newer voice actor and singer is one day noticed online by her secretive voice acting idol and a whirlwind courtship begins. These are the sweetest, kindest people ever. I love how the dramatic readings and song performances are seamlessly woven into the story. Multiple romances, great friendships, mouthwatering food, and beautiful locals. This is a feel good story of first love.

[jiangshinigami]

anybody know the feeling from hearing the stories of a trans woman older than you, 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, however long, hearing the experience and struggles she had to go through

And feeling oddly jealous?

Why is that. What is this feeling.

I'll hear the struggles of growing up in a much less trans accepting society, or growing up not knowing being trans is a thing at all.

There's this odd feeling of envy that holds onto my soul, as if desiring to grow up like that, even if objectively worse.

Sort of like a lingering thought that my experience isn't equal to that.

There's almost a sort of nostalgia for a time I cannot experience, for an era that passed before I was here, for a place I never was.

I'll hear stories of abuse and horrible things, traumatic events no one deserves to go through.

I know logically that I shouldn't want that, but there's that creeping strangle hold on my soul that tells me that my mundane, straightforward existence is worth so much little compared to the suffering of others.

Its the sort of part that lies to me, discounting any form of struggle I may have gone through. It's not any better that I have lots of struggles with memory.

The fact that I began to take some form of action about my gender in 2022, expressing myself and finding groups, should be positive, working things out in my teenage years.

But that nagging part of me tells me that I'm invalid or haven't struggled enough because I figured it out "too quickly", even if I had spent the previous years in a quiet gender crisis.

Lots of mental health issues, that I'm still attempting to overcome, surely come into play. Depression, Self loathing, Anxieties and dysphoria all coming together in a mix that can most likely be labelled as imposter syndrome.

This feeling seems to crawl its way through up through my mind when I engage in trans stories, either real or fictional.

But I still love to consume these stories. Even when these terrible feelings invade my mind, more emotions seem to come along. There's an inherent beauty to this stories, someone putting themselves on display.

Hearing all of these bring new perspective. I can empathise with the parts that I find myself in, and gain more understanding from the parts that don't align with me.

And even if my own story is really "mundane", or if I haven't gone through nearly as much suffering as someone else, I'm still valid, I still have a story.

Even if someone had the easiest transition, perfect support, no judgement, no doubt, complete acceptance, they still have a story worth sharing.

Every trans story is worth sharing.

[jedi-enthusiast]

Debunking the "The Jedi are Evil" Theory Made by The Film Theorists PT 5

Point 5 - Separating the Children From Their Parents is Mentally Damaging

Matthew goes on to say this:

"If the Jedi cared at all about the children under their tutelage, they would know that--scientifically--it can be incredibly damaging to separate young children from their parents"

and then he reads this quote:

"Studies have shown that, if a child suddenly loses a parent, the child experiences intense fear, panic, grief, a combination of sadness and loss, depression, helplessness, and hopelessness. The child has lost his lifeline, and often his sense of self. The world, and life, become disorganized and terrifying." - Meri Wallace

Now, funnily enough, I looked that quote up from Meri Wallace and found that Matthew removed some pretty key details from that quote.

This is the full quote and the context added afterward:

"Studies have shown that if a child suddenly loses a parent, either through death, abandonment, or a prolonged separation, the child experiences intense fear, panic, grief (a combination of sadness and loss), depression, helplessness and hopelessness. The child has lost his lifeline, and often his sense of self. The world, and life, become disorganized and terrifying. Unless children are surrounded by loved ones and receive much needed emotional support to work through a parental loss, this traumatic experience can cause children to suffer emotionally throughout life."

Now, firstly, this whole article was written as a commentary about children being separated from their parents at the US border--not about any form of adoption, which is what the Jedi do. They adopt the children, with the permission of their parents, they do not forcefully separate them.

Continuing on-

The Jedi are aware of the psychological damage that separating a child from their parent can have...which is why they adopt Force-sensitive children when they're 4 years old or younger, so they can completely remove or lessen the psychological impact. It's why the Jedi Council is so against inducting Anakin into the Order.

Furthermore, even if the children they adopted were negatively impacted, the article then states that the impact can be combatted by being surrounded by loved ones and given emotional support.

It's shown pretty clearly throughout pretty much every SW media set in the Prequel era that the Jedi care for each other and love each other, so "being surrounded by loved ones" wouldn't really be an issue for the initiates growing up. Not to mention that George Lucas calls the Jedi "galactic therapists" and throughout SW media in the Prequels we can see that they're very emotionally healthy and provide support to each other, so emotional support wouldn't be an issue either.

Furthermore, the article goes on to say this:

"A child who is consumed by grief may lack the psychic energy to learn, to play, or to engage in life."

And, when we look at any Prequels media that features Jedi initiates, do they exhibit this behavior?

The short answer is no!

They're shown to play with each other, engage in their lessons and with others, asking questions, taking leadership positions amongst each other, solving problems when they have them, and they just generally look happy.

As Matthew said before, George Lucas isn't subtle. Don't you think that, if the Jedi younglings were emotionally harmed or if Jedi practices were meant to be shown as bad, the initiates would show that? Don't you think they'd look miserable or scared? "Helpless and hopeless" like Meri Wallace says they would?

[bracketsoffear]

Mort (Terry Pratchett) "YOU CANNOT INTERFERE WITH FATE. WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE WHO SHOULD LIVE AND WHO SHOULD DIE?’

Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job.

Death is the Grim Reaper of the Discworld, a black-robed skeleton with a scythe who ushers souls into the next world. He is also fond of cats and endlessly baffled by humanity. Soon Death is yearning to experience what humanity really has to offer, but to do that, he’ll need to hire some help.

It’s an offer Mort can’t refuse. As Death’s apprentice he’ll have free board, use of the company horse – and being dead isn’t compulsory. It’s a dream job – until Mort falls in love with Death’s daughter, Ysabell, and discovers that your boss can be a killer on your love life..."

The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch (Daniel Kraus) "Synopsis: May 7, 1896. Dusk. A swaggering seventeen-year-old gangster named Zebulon Finch is gunned down on the shores of Lake Michigan. But after mere minutes in the void, he is mysteriously resurrected.

His second life will be nothing like his first.

Zebulon’s new existence begins as a sideshow attraction in a traveling medicine show. From there, he will be poked and prodded by a scientist obsessed with mastering the secrets of death. He will fight in the trenches of World War I. He will run from his nightmares—and from poverty—in Depression-era New York City. And he will become the companion of the most beautiful woman in Hollywood.

Love, hate, hope, and horror—Zebulon finds them. But will he ever find redemption?

Propaganda: As stated in the synopsis, Zebulon is killed and, for no apparent reason, comes back to life. It is more like in death, though; he is essentially a very-slowly-rotting corpse who walks. He discovers that he has the power to look at people in the eyes and show them their last moments, which traumatizes them. Finally, in both books Zebulon is surrounded by and responsible for many deaths."

[amymbona]

https://pin.it/41NGL4Hed

https://pin.it/1l4rX9QJI

I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU THINK BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY PATRICK FROM THE 🍏 MAKING FILM CATEGORY

but i must say that m wildly attracted to atmosphere of the first half of the 20th century, no matter how much the world has gone through in the years before, these years are somehow special for me... well, the exception is probably the 18th century, mmm russian history is 💔💔💔.

I was thinking about the plot of this short sketch and now I can't stop thinking about it. It seems like we need a war here, more action, but on the other hand, we just need the 1920s, when people are just settling in after the ww1, rebuilding what was destroyed and trying to make as many children as possible to restore the balance(although about 14 million died, the population at the time was a little over a billion).

i wanna say, there will be a lot of emotional swings here, i like pain! 🤩😭 but with a good ending, either they'll get back together when he realizes what an asshole he was, or just a happy ending for her and an uncertain fate for him.

and by the way i'm curious, what is your fav historical era, topics? tell me, i really want to chat!!! amyyyy, satisfy my lack of this. i'd discuss this endlessly

🐦‍⬛

I need to get my shit together and respond to apple's ask that has been sitting in my inbox, but I genuinely feel so overwhelmed by long messages :( it's lovely to see that you remember the thing, raven.

The first half of the 20th century is so interesting to me, probably through the popularity of jazz, swing, tap dance and over all that The Great Gatsby type of vibe. I really adore that and I'd really love to see Josh (Patrick if we wanna have a particular character) as one of those golden age of jazz boys, maybe mildly depressed after serving in the army and now attempting to get rid of those traumatic memories by run it from one party to another. Josh!!!! Hear me out!!!!

They asked me this question when I was applying for uni and I realised that I am into many many historical periods and events. For starters, I adore the world of ancient Greece and Rome + the Etruscans, and not just history - theatre arts, theatre and philosophy as well, that's such a beautiful and complex topic to me. I'm a huge fan of the Tudors, particularly the six wives of Henry VIII and then the period of Rudolf II in the Habsburg monarchy. As a Hamilton girlie, the independence of the USA is fun to me. And talking about arts, I'm a huge baroque girlie (probably my most favourite movement). I also adore the "isms" - impressionism, russian realism (the Peredvizhniki) or dadaism. Jesus I could probably talk about this for hours.

[therowdymagpie]

The Main 6 as AJR songs(pt.1): The Click

A/N: I have no idea who is going to care about this, but character analysis through songs is one of my favourite activities and combining two of my biggest hyperfixations at the moment seems like a good way to combat seasonal depression so, enjoy this mini headcanon series.(spoiler for all routes of course)

Asra: Turning Out

Starting off, for Asra "Turning out" really strikes me as the song that could desrcibe how disoriented they must have felt during the first few months of the Apprentice's resurrection.

These two verses could just really be talking about Asra's feelings at the start where the Apprentice doesn't recognise them and the surprise of the ritual not working the way it was supposed to. All of the questions they could have asked themselves:

"Am I ready to be their lover or friend?"

"Do you have instructions?"

"Where do I go from here?" are all things they would be wondering about how to best approach this, how can they go back to the way they and the MC were before.

And of course the themes of unexpected or unrequited love that deviates from storybooks, pop up. This is NOT a fairytale, this is a very traumatic, very fragile situation Asra is in, where they aren't a normal couple with Mc, where this is really anything but a love story, actually slowly evolving more into a romantic tragedy as they don't know how to approach the Mc. Sometimes not even as a friend or lover but simply falling into the role of a "Master" or teacher.

Especially with this part, I can really see it as an entire internalised conversation in Asra's mind, with the version of MC they're familiar with.

Shouldn't they wait before they give up?

Don't they want to see the Mc get better?

Don't they want to wait and see if the Apprentice will love them again.?

And how everything is turning out in the end?

This is a song deep into the frustration and dissapointment coming out of a love you can't predict and at the same time a relationship you desperately want to make work exactly the way you want to, which works pretty well in this scenario.

Nadia: Burn The House Down

This song specifically i feel like fits Nadia SO MUCH. Aside from the political themes that are spread all around it, I really want to talk about lines like:

Knowing how Pre Red Plague Era, Nadia had this toned down role in Vesuvia, blending behind Lucio's shadow as nothing more than an observer, this would be her train of doubts about her potition and if she herself as a Countess can make actual difference to better the city. It's these doubts that held her behind in fear of people once again ignoring and sidestepping her, much like how in Prakra she felt a similar way with her family.

These doubts later on also follow her throughout her own route, when she has the chance to prove herself to her city and be the leader it deserves.

As well as:

Which just fits fits so much with the Courtiers situation and the corrupt polititians that overran Vesuvia while she was in her coma state. This also fits Lucio and how he was only parading the role of the Count while scheming, hiding, stricking deals while the only things he did for the city were to constanly keep up appearances and throw parties.

Overall the theme of stopping the circle of letting other people rule over your life and deciding to take charge and work WITH others to better the situation around you, whether political or not are all really resonating with Nadia. It's a great "pumping up" motivational song that describes her journey and personal growth as a Countess and a person.

Julian: Weak

(For those who know AJR or actually have heard this song: Come on.....what did you expect? XD)

The overarching theme of succumbing to your bad habits is LITERALLY indicative of Julian's whole route. How he resorts to drinking, punishing himself, overindulging in bad company and every other coping mechanism he uses are there in the lyrics:

Small mention to how "one kiss, bad for me" could very well refer to the apprentice and how he has to distance himself from them, but at the same time can't seem to be able to fully detatch. He's a wanted man, there is no way that getting involved in a romance that can never be isn't going to hurt him, right?

Especially i feel like this song fits him so well exactly because Julian KNOWS all this, he's said it himself:

Julian understands that he is ruining himself, that he is hurting others while doing it, that he should say no to the dark thougths in his mind and all the bad impulses BUT he also has convinced himself that he's not strong enough for that and keeps going back to the same bad habits.

In the end this is a party anthem and we know Julian to be a party person himself, so he hypes it up. "What's wrong with that?" as well as the whole mood of the song could very well be him actively trying to convince everyone and himself, that...he's "weak", it's just who he is and he can't change. That way he can push people away and scare them off with how " iredeemable" he is and how he's just going to keep making mistakes. All because he just doesn't want to take anyone down with him....

I also want to make quick reference to "Sober Up" and this lyric that's also giving strong Julian vibes with the MC helping him get out of his head.

Muriel: I'm not Famous

OK while this song doesn't melodically give me huuge Muriel vibes, the lyrics are thematical to his whole hermit situation.

This man put a magic curse ON HIMSELF that makes people forget that they even met him, except the people he gives something to remember him by, meaning the people closest to him.

Like literally Muriel never has to worry about people talking about him, where he lives, what he likes to do, what are his habits or bother him anymore and that's described here like his personal paradise.

Which honestly makes so much sense if you take into consideration what his past used to be like. The trauma he endured by being in the Colissium and having everyone watch the worst version of himself EVERY SINGLE DAY, definetely warrants seeing almost complete isolation as bliss.

(Also noone hates him, he's our gentle giant that deserves the world fandom-wise and he's adored by everyone who DOES know him in Vesuvia.)

Honestly i feel like this song could very well be Muriel's personal diss towards Lucio, which is very funny to think about:

Muriel is a hermit and yet he is more loved and acknoledged for who he is than Lucio will ever be (according to Muriel's route anyway). Lucio was loud, the main attraction for many, the centre of attention and yet people in the majority "judge" him and have seen all of his personal failures out on display because he chose to parade around trying to show that he was the best.

Muriel finds comfort in being unknown and has never been afraid to express that. He apprieciates the people in his life that matter which is exactly why this song fits this well.

Portia: Drama (/Turning Out)

Maybe i'm cheating with this one but I cannot talk about Portia without refering to both of these songs.

For starters, Drama: Now it's well known that Portia is an undisputed gossip queen. The woman has an entire map drawn out of secret passages scattered around the palace that STILL isn't fully finished, she knows the entire palace staff by name and she's not too unfamiliar about any street rumors or juicy stories. Point being: she goes around.

The song describes how we can become envolved to other people's drama and get caught up in their stories so much it's addicting.

Now regardless of what perspective we see Portia from, one thing is clear: She wants excitement out her life and to get to do adventurous things of her own. Unfortunately though, because of her obligations and role she is instead "addicted" to other people's stories and shines through others.

In every story except her own she is just there, observing, seeing what happens next and contributes as much as she can because she can't be fully a part of it herself.

Only in her own route does she get to actively be an important part of the story and the "Drama", getting out of the mindset of being a background character, take action and voice her opinions.

Tbh i haven't fully finished her route but so far i can at least understand this: Portia needs an opportunity to shine as her own person, and this song perfectly portrays that.

As for Turning Out, I just can't keep out of my head Portia saying these lines to Julian:

I think Portia was so genuinely hurt by Julian leaving her behind in Nevivon and telling him all this would just hit SO HARD, especially since she grew up with and I think really admired him. Nevemind the fact that she was very close to losing him again with the execution , which makes these lyrics sting all the more.

That and the themes of growing up and getting your head out of stories and fairytales you read really sounds perfect for her character.

Lucio: The Good Part

Well what can i say, The Good Part is loud, energetic but at the same time just so pensive, which fit pretty good on Lucio if you think about it.

The entirety of the song and lyrics keep referring to skipping to the best part of your life and keep wondering when that actually is. Lucio is a complex character which I love but so much is apparent about him: He wants to be respected and he wants power. The thing is he isn't always going to work too hard to achieve it.

His impentience as to when he'll be leader of his tribe is what drives him to the demon bargain that would make his parents sick and supposedly "skip" all of the proving himself as worthy of it and directly place him right on top. That behaviour later on continues with his deals with the Courtiers and then the Devil himself.

And then later on even when he actually becomes a Count he still keeps showing off, throwing over-the-top parties and trying to give all the best things to his court and people. He keeps trying to make every moment the "Good Part" of his life constanly thinking he can go even more respected and loved as a ruler, even seeking to overthrow the Devil in some routes.

Lucio for all his skills and passion lacks patience and the ability to think ahead, jumping into situations that will get him where he wants to be all the faster. The song doesn't wholly describe his motivations and personality but it definetely hits on that particular aspect of him.

ShoutOut to familial issues:

______________________________________________________________

Annnd that's it, hoping to continue in Pt.2.

P.S Please go and listen to AJR folks they have some really deep, heartbreaking and thought-provoking stuff.