#I've been a hater since a kid and nothing has changed

[solazu1]

I just hope everyone knows I actually don't like creepypasta I just like marble hornets.

[skania]

OnK Chapter 155 Akane Thoughts

Before I start rambling about the chapter, let me just confess that my hopes of Aka delivering some Chapter 51 & 52 parallels in the upcoming weeks just increased exponentially.

I know, I know, I'm probably playing myself but. In this week's episode we see Aqua and Akane go out together and starting to work together as a team.

And in this week's manga chapter, we see... Aqua and Akane go out together and (potentially) starting to work together as a team.

As if to prove that it's no coincidence, Akane is even wearing a choker in both, this week's episode and this week's manga chapter. Even though in the manga, she hasn't worn one since... well, the very chapter the anime is adapting this week.

It's like Aka's break was strategically placed just so the chapter & episode line up 😭

Granted, there's nothing to guarantee that he will keep it up in the next two weeks. Maybe this will be enough for him and he will call it a day. But since we've gotten this far and hope is free, may as well keep hoping while expecting nothing 😂

Moving onto the chapter, full disclosure: I've been half-expecting Akane getting the "Moving On"™ patented haircut because it very much is a thing in Asia, whether it be in manga or in real life. So no surprise there.

The reason she gave on the other hand...

^ My face knowing Aka just served Akane on a silver platter to every Akane hater out there 😂

The funniest thing about all this is that, hello?? The bangs are one thing, but are we supposed to pretend that Akane didn't wear her hair long as a kid? If anything, Akane cut her hair short that first time because her idol wore hers short. So why should anyone take short hair as a more genuine Akane thing than long hair??

But whatever, Aqua went back to his Love Now hair so the choice of haircut itself was obviously just Aka wanting Akane to be in sync with him. Because even if Aka recently spent 4 chapters establishing that Aqua is supposed to end up with someone else, he and Akane are the ones who continue to move as a pair.

Naturally.

So leaving the haircut itself aside, Akane is back to her original hair parting and thus (apparently) done imitating Ai.

The question here is: in what ways exactly has Akane been "imitating" Ai up to this point? Because I know there are a lot of different schools of thought when it comes to that.

As far as I'm concerned though, we have seen Akane, we have seen Ai, and we have seen Akane acting as Ai.

Needless to say, this isn't at all how Akane conducts herself in her day-to-day life lol

However, I don't think she means that she just shaped her hairstyle after Ai to be more like Aqua's ideal girl. That's fair and makes sense on paper, but if "imitating" Ai was just about making her hairstyle more appealing to Aqua, then why didn't she cut her hair after she and Aqua broke up? More than that, why didn't she cut it after she chose to support Kana's love life?

Because the timing of the haircut is key, IMO. She cut her hair short only after Aqua chose happiness and accomplished his revenge. In other words, she cut her hair short only after her goal of saving Aqua was accomplished.

To me, this implies that if Akane has been imitating Ai, it's been in ways that she thought would help her accomplish that goal.

Now, since she hardly speaks this chapter, it's hard to gauge what changes this will bring to Akane's characterization. However, there is one thing that already stands out to me:

Remember what happened when Akane thought that Kamiki killed Ai? She feared that Aqua would get his hands dirty by killing him in turn, and as such decided that she had to deal with Kamiki on her own in order to protect Aqua.

Now she knows that Nino is the Big Bad, and the first thing we see her do is... go discuss the situation with Aqua.

Akane now trusts that Aqua won't break, and so instead of acting on her own to protect him, she wants to be forthcoming with him.

Considering what I mentioned above about Aqua and Akane moving as a pair, I can't help but to think Aka may just be establishing Akane's own version of this:

And — what a coincidence — those lines also fit none other than Ai, who pretended to not love Kamiki and kept her distance from him because of how important he was to her.

Since Ai knew Kamiki was about to break, Ai put on a façade that wouldn't show her own doubts and fears. All in an effort to not burden him more, to protect him better even if she failed at it.

So I'm inclined to believe that may just be how Akane has been imitating Ai.

Aqua recently described Ai as someone who was always carefree, strong and who never cried. Needless to say, he was wrong about her, but that's the impression Ai deliberately tried to give. And what have we seen from Akane, especially lately?

Even when going against her true desires, Ai always put on a smile and remained flippant. So Akane may have been taking a page from that particular book... to be Aqua's perfect support.

His perfect ally.

I theorized before that this star here was Akane fully embracing the role as Aqua's girlfriend, but she wasn't just any kind of girlfriend. She was as supportive of Aqua as she possibly could, always trying to offer him solace, precisely because she knew how burdened Aqua was.

And throughout it all, Akane kept her own feelings and wants very close to her chest. She even intended to say goodbye to him with a smile, not realizing just how hard it would be on her.

Akane has been striving to save Aqua all along and playing any role she deems necessary to accomplish that goal (the supportive girlfriend, the well-meaning ex that gets in the way of his plans), but now that Aqua has finally been saved, she doesn't need to put on a mask anymore. Unlike Ai, who wore hers nearly until the very end.

With that reading, I can't help but think that Akane's wording was pretty clever. If she wants to be vague about her haircut being related to the "saving Aqua chapter" finally coming to a close for her, saying that she no longer needs to imitate Ai is a good way to convey it without actually saying it.

I may be completely off about all this, though. Truth is, we could sit here all day trying to figure out Akane's thoughts and Aka's intended meaning, but we all know that a lot of people will be running off with the most unflattering interpretations and they could be right for all I know. Aka's mind sometimes works in twisted ways 😂

That said, one unflattering interpretation I do want to fight against is that of Akane's feelings for Aqua just being an emulation of Ai's own. That doesn't add up, because Akane's goal from the get-go has been to help Aqua be happy.

And she had that goal even before she started imitating Ai:

Unless Aka retcons this, Akane's feelings for Aqua are Akane's own. He saved her and helped her be happy, and Akane has always been seeking to save him and help him be happy in turn.

It is possible that Akane has been trying to fill for Aqua the role of unconditional love and support that Ai would've filled for him if only she were alive. That's more or less just another way to say everything I already mentioned above.

However, even in that case, this should be motivated by her own feelings for him rather than Ai's. Not to mention, Ai's feelings for Aqua are motherly feelings and thus, strictly platonic. Meanwhile, Akane's for Aqua were paralleled to Ai's for her lover literally just a chapter ago:

So if Aka's writing is consistent, that particular interpretation should be off the table.

But that's enough time spent trying to make sense of Akane's line and Aka's intention behind it lol

Moving on, I can't help but notice what a big coincidence it is that right after we get a chapter showing that Ai and Kamiki are (in many ways) a failed Akane/Aqua, we now get a chapter where Akane cuts her hair short to differentiate herself from Ai.

Akane and Aqua may just be about to move into uncharted territory.

The first time we saw Aqua and Akane team up in Love Now, they did so as a business, fake relationship. Now, they're (potentially) teaming up all over again and being more honest while they're at it. What kind of dynamic will we see now, I wonder?

Granted, it doesn't have to involve anything romantic. This could be very well Aka setting up the stage for Aqua and Akane to end up as friends, and I'd personally be fine with that as long as it's executed well.

Regardless of the nature of his feelings though, I can't help but remember this:

Aqua once said that he will like Akane no matter what kind of Akane she is. With some luck, we may just see Aqua finally prove that he meant it.

His reaction when he saw her was so funny though. Aqua's feelings for Akane can be interpreted in many different ways, but indifference definitely isn't a plausible one lmao

Even here in this panel he's anything but indifferent. Almost like Akane just broached a sore subject

Also, it is kind of poetic that as soon as happiness is back on the table for Aqua, we see Aqua and Akane reunite on a chapter titled "Happy Ending" of all things lol

Now, onto the plot! It's nice to have confirmation that Aqua did originally intend to kill Kamiki. I'd like to know what exactly entailed his original plan, but that may be asking for too much at this point.

We still don't know what changed Aqua's mind, though. This chapter presents it as Aqua simply respecting Ruby's choice, but like I mentioned before, if that was all there was to it, then why didn't Aqua change his mind after he saw Ruby act the "I don't love you" scene for the first time? What let Aqua finally accept that Ruby's version of revenge was the right one?

On that same note, this chapter seems to confirm that Aqua has now embraced his life as Aqua Hoshino. He once discarded the naive thought of being happy, but now he seems ready to move on and getting a happy ending. Last time we saw Aqua pre time-skip on Chapter 151, his stars were still black. So, what gave?

We should still be missing a piece to solve that particular puzzle, IMO. I do think that Aka will eventually show it, even if it ends up being something as simple as "Kana True Oshi ❤️" (lmao)

Speaking about puzzles, it's hilarious how Aka makes Aqua be smart only when it's convenient to him. Just like Aqua magically could tell that his father was Kamiki just "thanks to Akane's movements", now he was suddenly able to tell that Nino was the big bad 😂 At least we're being told Akane already figured that out for herself, so that's good.

I swear though, if this doesn't all end with Aqua asking Akane what her happy ending is, I'll riot. Akane has spent the entire manga trying to save Aqua, and now that he's saved, she will be working to make everyone's happy ending possible. So Aqua better put in some effort to make sure Akane gets her happy ending too, whatever that may entail.

Things are moving super fast though, way faster than I thought they would. Now they even know about Yura, like?? Hopefully we'll at least get a few flashback panels to show how in the world they knew about her, because Aka is seriously pushing it lmao

In-before Aqua and Akane use a B-Komachi concert as bait to draw Nino into making a move so they can catch her. With everyone's help, of course 😂

I also can't help but wonder if Kamiki may pull some strings so that Ruby can have her Dome concert...

Everyone could see the Nino reveal coming after what happened with Kamiki, so I won't dwell on that. What I do find interesting though is that Nino is being presented as a fan gone wrong. She is everything a fan shouldn't strive to be. So knowing Aka, it's only natural that she will be contrasted to someone who is a true fan. Someone who genuinely wants only the best for their idol, without seeking to own them in any way.

Considering everything that has happened in the story, the two people who are most apt to fulfill that contrast are Aqua and Ruby. In Aqua's case in particular, that's a very interesting thought... especially considering his relationship with Kana and what Kana wants out of him: to be his number one idol, an idol that is an idol for him and him alone.

But we'll have to wait and see whether Aka sticks to his values or not 😂

All in all though, I'm very pleased that this chapter seems to put Akane front and center in this final arc, which is exactly what I was hoping for 😭 And I even got Miyako! I wish her relationship with Ruby and Aqua weren't so underdeveloped, because that family hug could've been one of the manga highlights for me otherwise.

I do kind of worry that Aka may pretend that now that Aqua has (more or less) embraced his life as Aqua Hoshino, there's no need for anyone else to know that he once was Goro though. Akane learning about it is the one thing I've always wanted to see in this manga, so I really hope Aka will at least let me have that much

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias x Black Reader - The Bodyguard Part 1/8

Yeah, this is going to be good 🤭🤭 So good!

Summary - Reader is a popstars in trouble and Ruben is her new bodyguard, here to protect and help her find out who wants to hurt her. But what happens when the relationship between Reader and Ruben simply gets too personal?

Enjoy!

"A bodyguard? For what?"

"Y/N, a person has threatened your life."

"So? People do that online every day. Haters gonna hate."

You fell back against the cuchens of your fifthy thousand euro couch. Sure, it was expensive, but it came straight from the set of Pulp Fiction, a collectors item, worth every penny. Pulp Fiction was your absolute favorite movie of all time.

"I get that you don't want someone following you around all day, especially now with the tour of your knew album, but please consider your own safety first." You're sister had been managing you ever since the beginning of your singing career, of course her natural instict was to worry about you.

"Fine you sighed. So when is this guy coming?"

"Well, we had him fly in from his latest job in the UAE."

"The what know?"

"The UAE, like Dubai? Aapparently even the riches shieks in the middle east wants this guy as their bodyguard. He's an ex navy seal from what I've heard."

"Girl." You chuckled. "I received one threatening phone call from a man who calls himself the Dickonataor 3000. What makes you think I need a navy seal to protect me from that? You should have gotten one of the pumped up dudes from the fitness center I go to to set this guy straight. How much is this bodyguard guy even costing us?"

"Well, he said your only up for trial and that discussions won't happen until the end of that trial period."

"A trial?" You sat up. "You mean to tell me that this guy is only coming around for a trial. To what? See if my life is really worth guarding?"

"Somthing like that, yes. I don't know all the details. Taylor was the one who set everything up."

"Taylor? What does he know about hiring bodyguards?"

"Well he has a decade of experience when it comes to driving spoiled popstars like yourself."

"I'm not spoiled, you're spoiled."

You're sister smiled. "We're both spoiled."

"Mom would be very proud, too bad she rarely flies out to see us?"

"She will be here for your album release party, she promised."

"Yeah, yeah, promises promises, they mean nothing to me."

Your sister stood with her hands behind her back,  watching you. You hated the way she dressed nowadays, in pantsuits, like a damn politician.

"Are you ready to go back to rehearsals?" She asked. You had only gone back to your apartment for a quick break. You had been dancing all day.

"I haven't eaten anything yet." You said.

"We'll pick somthing up on the go, come." She offered you her hand. Just like she when you were kids, wanting to hold your hand on your way to school.

Rehearsals went well, however your feet were killing you by the time you got home. Taylor dropped you off at the apartment whilst your sister still had some business to take care of. You were glad to be alone for a change, having been surrounded by people telling you what to do all day.

"Maria?"

You peaked your head through to the kitchen to see if your personal chef was there. You'd ask her to cook a nice meal, perhaps one of her country's delicacies. You loved Brazilian food.

"Maria?"

She was nowhere to be found. You went to look for her in her office.

"Mari—"

"She's not here."

You froze as a big shadow swept behind you, followed by the dark voice of a man.

"Who are you?" You turned around and gasped. The man stood tall, dressed in a blacksuit and tie. His hair was slicked back, like a business man trying to appear more professional than he was.

"I'm here to kill you." He stated, just like that, with his hands tied before him.

"Um...okay. Taylor!!" You shouted.

"We're twelve stories up sweetheart, he won't hear you."

You frowned, applled by the man and his commanding, yet not threatening demeanor.

"What do you want, I don't keep any money here."

"Yeah, I realized that. However I hacked into your computer in your office."

"Y...you what?"

"It's not very smart of you not to encrypt any of your emails. I've received everything I need about your recent payments, credit card details, enough to forge your identity to make you go bankrupt in a few days time."

Your chest heaved up with your heavy breathing. Who was this guy, an intruder? Why was he so calm? Was he one of those serial killers to have sex with your corps before cutting it to pieces and eat it. Not on your watch, you thought and quickly ran back downstairs.

"Mariaaaaa!" You shouted.

"Like I said, I sent her home."

The man was right at your heals, following you wherever you went.

"What...why?" You said, slightly out of breath and your feet were still sore, so you didn't feel like running.

"Your apartment should be cleared out of staff by 6.pm it's easier to keep track of who goes in and out of the apartment if all your staff have a time stamp on them."

"How did you even get into the building?" You asked. "Did the doorman let you in?"

The man looked at you with tinted eyes, they were intimidating, yet kind. "The doorman has a shift change that occurs with a thirty minute window before the next guy shows up. I simply bid my time, observing your building all day, waiting for the right moment to simply walk into the building and take the elevator up to your floor."

"W.. what do you want?" You were trembling with fear now, ready to scream if the man dared try anything. However he seemed to keep his distance between you, yet it seemed like he was still invading your space.

"Like I said, I'm here to kill you. Or more so simulate how a killer would make the attempt to approach you in your home. From what I've gathered today you're an easy victim Y/N."

"How did you....wait are you...you're him aren't you? The bodyguard?"

The man stood with his hands behind his straight back, neither confirming or denying your statement.

You shook your head, a hint of a smile on your lips. "What a starnge way to introduce yourself and aren't you too young to be a bodyguard. I was expecting some G.I Joe looking mother fuc...."

"I think I'll do guarding a 60 kg girl who doesn't lock her front door when she leaves her home."

"But I know everyone who lives in this building and we have a doorman."

"You'll lock your doors from now on." He said, end of.

You were slightly taken back, mostly by the way he was dominating you, but also by the way you let him dominant you.

"It's my apartment,  I can do whatever I want." You said, a bit unconvincing.

"Not on my watch."

You snorted. "Right."

"Did I say something funny?"

"Yeah, a lot of things actually."

"I'm sorry to have frightened you with my unannounced entry Miss..."

"Y/N, is fine. " You said, crossing your arms over your chest.

"It's just standard protocol for me to ensure that whoever I'm working for is secure beyond my protection so that when it's necessary for me to give my life to them, I'll know it was for the right reason and not some sloppy mistake like an unlocked door or the fact that you let unwanted personal linger past suitable hours."

You're eyes were narrowed as you stared at the man, trying to make sense of it all. You stared at him until the point of realizing that he was actually kind of cute.

"Oh shit, there you are."

The strange introduction came to an end with your sister stumbling through the door.

"Taylor told me that he picked you up from the airport hours ago. I see you've already met my sister." She stepped forward shaking the man's hand.

"Yes we have just made ourselves acquainted, setting some ground rules for this arrangement."

Your sister looked at you, slightly impressed. You on the other hand was not having it at all.

"Y/N, why the long face?" Your sister said. "Meet Ruben Dias, you're new bodyguard."

[lenaperseveranceoxton]

I know it's basically just self-harm, but man, reading the comments of any official Overwatch post on any platform has me bashing my head against a wall. Specifically, though, I foolishly just felt like reading the Steam comments on the recent post about the "Overwatch 2 Spotlight" announcement because I found it funny that Team 4 has otherwise forgotten to post there since Season 12.

Amid the "M*rvel R*vals better" slop connoisseurs (Don't even get me started about that damn game. It drives me up the wall that people basically just want to play the equivalent of launch Overwatch but worse. Franchise recognition aside, it still baffles me that it's gotten as big as it has. I don't CARE if the Crisp Ratt character plays like Tracer. I'm already Tracer!), there were comments about the game “dying” because it went "woke." No, wait, sorry, that's an outdated term. "DEI" "killed" the game.

Lena "Tracer" Oxton, the face of 2016's GOTY, has been a lesbian since December of the same year! In an era where people like LeafyIsHere were making it big on YouTube and convicted felon/adjudicated rapist Donald J. Trump had won his first presidential election, Team 4 stunted on all the haters and showed us the funky little time-jumper kissing their beautiful redhead girlfriend! They paved the way for LGBT representation in every hero shooter that followed, and I will die on that hill. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 would not have a non-binary operator if it wasn't for them! I swear!

Anyway, back to the comments I've been seeing in Overwatch's official posts. Plenty of (totally fair-minded) critics apparently believe the game is "failing" because we don't get enough updates. Yes, Overwatch is supposedly failing because we only get one hero every ~18 weeks! ARE YOU KIDDING?

Maybe we could use more maps for the newer modes, but Overwatch is actually in such a good place right now! Although I still disagree with some of Season 9's changes, I'm still having a great time with it on a day-to-day basis. (In fact, the recent urges to play Overwatch have been distracting me from writing Overwatch fan fiction😔. Unfortunate.)

What ever happened to playing a game because you enjoyed it? Do people just not have attention spans anymore? Overwatch's current flow of content is FINE. It's okay to take breaks from games! Do you really need constant stimulation, a new set of jingling keys with each waking day?

Sure, I think Overwatch's monetization model could use some work. It was more satisfying to regularly play Overwatch when there was the constant promise of loot boxes rather than having nothing to earn with a maxed-out battle pass, but I understand it didn't bring in the big bucks. At the same time, I would assume Mythic Prisms could fill that gap now? Either way, it's too late. Microsoft would never let Team 4 take away such a large source of income now. (I do find it funny that people only complain about Overwatch's $20 skins when every other live-service game does the same thing, but that's neither here nor there.)

All right, all right. Why am I talking about all this? Well, the wording of Overwatch's announcement ("new heroes... coming this February and beyond") and the animation of Maximilien typing "43" at the beginning of Stéphane Cornicard's recently released reading of "The Pocket King" make me concerned that they're giving into the demands for more frequent heroes with Season 15.

(Don't let the flame die out, though, PvEbros!!!)

I won't tag him because I know he has a lot of shooters on this hellsite, but I am the most recent hero's #1 hater. (No hate to Conor McLeod, though!) Even with him aside, there are other heroes that I like as characters and don't mind playing as or against, but from a gameplay standpoint, they feel like unnecessary additions with fundamentally flawed kits. (In case you haven't noticed, I'm specifically talking about a certain Samoan here.) I think we could've stopped adding new heroes a while ago.

Still, if we must have a Hero 43, I think it's more probable that they will have ties to Maximilien, but with Stéphane Cornicard's heavy involvement in recent content, I don't think it's far-fetched to assume they've gotten him onboard to voice act a full-fledged hero, either. So, what's he going to do? Help his team pay their taxes?

It reminds me of when MomoDeary posted Lemon Tea art on her (now-locked) Twitter and captioned it with something along the lines of "Emily should be a hero, and her only ability should be blowing kisses to Lena from across the map to heal [them] 🥰," and you know what? I once opposed adding Emily as a hero, but now, I couldn't agree more. If more heroes are the only thing that can save this game, then I expect them to pay my taxes and/or be gay and do crimes. Only then will we truly be "so fucking back."

[unpersoniverse]

I don't know if I was desperate for a little silly serotonin boost, if I am too unserious or if people are just straight up haters to everything but like...

I swear the ATLA la is not nowhere as bad as many are making it to be, like, this isn't a carbon copy of the og series, nothing will ever top of ATLA and if you wanted it to be the same just go watch the show again?

I've watched ATLA so many times in my life, it's my comfort show as much as yours. But the live action isn't the cartoon, that I understood right away. And of course it has a lot of flaws (and tbh I blame today's way of media consumption at that, trying to squish complex storylines in the least time possible, and also mainstream media performative activism but that's a war for another day) but as a stand alone thing I thought it was pretty solid? I felt like the essence of the show was brought to justice after the unspeakable movie. It felt familiar, at least to me idk.

I don't think this was for the fans honestly, it's been 19 since the og aired. Many things in the world have changed but many are still the same, I think this series was meant more to catch onto the new generations and public. I'm giving you a personal example but I've always recommended the show to everyone I know and despite all my efforts, there are still A LOT of people who disregard animation as something only for kids and wouldn't see it (boludos pero bue) and guess what? They're seeing the live action, and they love it.

Also the fact that there's a show with a cast of mainly asian and native-american actors at last? sign me tf up.

Overall, even if I didn't like some changes they made I still enjoyed it and mostly I want this series to succeed. Mainly because the ATLA story is always going to be relevant, even if it is fantasy it has the representation about people and feelings we don't often see in things. (like, as a girl from a south american country, seeing stories about fighting colonial and imperialists little shits are always gonna hit close home)

Don't get me wrong, it is completely valid if you didn't like the live action. Criticism is great, we need it a lot actually if there's going to be a S2.

But saying is straight up shit and garbage (even before seeing it) just because it's not a frame to frame copy and then go online complaining making 5839 posts about it? Grow up.

[meraki-yao]

thank you so much for your reply <3 i think grief is a good word to describe what i'm feeling. it might sound silly to some but the book has been one of my favourites since 2019 and the 'what could have been?' aspect of the movie's promotion devastates me bc the crew and the fans deserved more. i think im also a bit terrified of ppl moving on from rwrb to nick's other projects meanwhile i can't (and don't want to) do it, ugh it's just a mess of weird feelings and sadness and longing for something we've never had. not to mention how some people already talk about his new projects being upgrades from rwrb. that hurts me on so many levels bc henry is a complex and beautiful character, rwrb is a wonderful story and i genuinely think that even with all the changes they created something amazing.

Glad I could help <3

It's not silly at all. I'm in a similar position: if you've followed my blog you might have seen this but long story short my irl life is a bit fucked up and I was really, really depressed. (still kinda am) July and August, waiting and watching RWRB release became the happiest I've been since January 2022, and in the following months RWRB and the fandom (well, and my sister) nearly became my sole reason for hanging on. So trust me when I say I get the feeling.

I understand your fear, and I'd be lying if I say I wasn't afraid that the rwrb tag will be full of George instead of Alex and Henry, but please remember that liking something new doesn't necessarily always lead to leaving the previous fandom: I know for a fact that me and a couple of my mutuals are going do both. We're gonna be happy to watch M&G (personally not interested in the idea of you but the same applies) but we're still going to make RWRB content. M&G will be a great show but it won't have nearly the same emotional weight to me as RWRB. It's been five months, so those of us who hang around and are active are active for a good reason.

As for the comments about "upgrade", that's ridiculous and a very surface-level assessment. One of my best friends is studying to become an actress and we talk about acting often. Here's the thing: there isn't a thing called "easy" acting. Every genre of acting has its own challenges: for comedy many times you need to sacrifice your personal dignity; Sci-fi blockbusters you need to interact with nothing and make it look believable; even for things like kid shows you need to be hyperactive so the kids can focus and find it entertaining, which can be so draining. M&G is a historical thriller, TIOY is a romance, and RWRB is a rom-com. These are three different film genres, and each set out to achieve different things. For example in terms of relationships: TIOY needs to make the romance believable, RWRB needs to make the romance believe, funny, and be a fair representation of a queer relationship, and for M&G if history serves there's no "true love" relationship at all. You're right: Henry's a complex and beautiful character, and Nick clearly put all his heart into him. But you cannot take Henry's layers of grief, love, fear, and self-esteem, and say it is lesser than Geroge's cold ambition. Funnily enough, while Henry is so careful with his power as the prince, George rose to the same if not a higher level of power and abused it so badly, that it caused his assassination and downfall. A well-written character is ultimately, a human being, and there isn't truly a human being who's "easy to be". So don't listen to those haters.

I'm all ears if you still want to talk <3

[calamitaswrath]

Cal Lucia plays Fire Emblem Path of Radiance: Chapter 9

Hah, so there's yet another gameplay mechanic that is being turned into an in-universe thing with the statistics. I think that's the most I've ever seen a game in the series does this. . . I like it. It's always nice when games do this sort of thing

Got Ike and Soren's C support unlocked! And hah, Soren even notices little tells with Ike like his left eye twitching when he's tired. And Ike calling him a softie, too. . . no wonder people ship them.

Got Titania's and Rhys' support as well. I like the little backstory there, which involves Shinon and Gatrie, too

Something I still don't get with these "info" things (not even sure if they're called that in English) is why they have a star ranking, but I guess I'll figure that out eventually (and this has since been resolved since someone just told me)

Have to say though, I really like the mechanic overall! Reminds me a bit of the things that each character has to say in the monastery exploration phase of Three Houses, in the sense that I take that those are time-specific interactions that have various characters weigh in on things that just happened. Except that unlike Three Houses, you don't have to run all over the place to talk to people, and that they're actual conversations, and not actual characters bouncing off of a mute protagonist. (. . .I say that, but I should still point out that I did like Three Houses, even if it has its shortcomings)

Ike was in Gallia before. Probably as a kid, I guess?

And a nother battle. It's almost like this is a strategy RPG!

Lethe continues to be a hater. Perfectly valid mind you, but I hope that when inevitably she changes her mind, it is well-handled and doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere

Mist and Rolf finally join! I know this isn't really anything I can convey here, but I love Boyd's dialogue during that whole interaction. It's funny. Anyway, I did wonder when the two were finally gonna join, so good to see that that's finally here

Ahh, Laguz tutorials! And. . . huh. I hope they're worth from a gameplay perspective

. . .Ah, that pirate's out to destroy the houses. Starting over!

Took some maneuvering of Lethe and Mordecai, but I did manage to stop the initial pirate, and then managed to get to both houses with Marcia. That got me two turns over the maximum bonus exp that I could have gotten, but it's better than nothing

Huff, Soren really is suggesting that they join Daein in case a war breaks out that involves Gallia. Seems to me like this guy has some baggage that will need exploring.

Another CG illustration! These are all very pretty.

Caineghis. . . goodness, now there's a beefy guy. Reminds me a bit of Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf, if only for his mass and hairstyle. And judging by his role and design, I'm getting the feeling that he's either gonna be killed off at some point, or he'll become playable. One or the other.

Giffca. That's definitely a way to introduce a character - "Oh yeah he's here but don't mind him".

Ohh, more juicy backstory! Ike and Mist were born in Gallia, their mother was killed, Greil had a secret that he didn't tell anyone, even here. . . interesting stuff!

Ah, and Elincia's not getting any Gallian troops for support. Gotta keep the protagonist side the underdogs, after all.

A sea trip to Begnion is next? Sounds like ship maps. Let's just hope it's not gonna be as many as in Gaiden/Shadows of Valentia.

[not-playable-character]

Some thoughts I've had after finishing Bayonetta Origins

Before my rambling mess of thoughts here's some general ones for those who don't wanna read.

Its a great game 8/10, the only issues I have with it are skill issue based and the parts the revolve around bayo 3, its beautiful and complex and I love finally learning some backstory (even if it's for my least favorite adult cereza) all the voice work and music are amazing. the art is amazing as usual. I'd highly recommend playing it if you haven't already. Also be wary for spoilers in the read more.

Ok so the rambles and game theories

This game made me realize (in my mind) why bayo 3 cereza was so... weak and emotionless. If the ending is to be believed, she left the village to travel the world. This means that she didn't have jeannes teachings and was more or less self taught (explaining the fact she can't use 2 different weapons) it also explains why she is so socially awkward, people on their own can lose those social skills and she's been alone for centuries. I do adore little cereza and her growth, but she wouldn't have the uh.. trauma that the others would have, if she left there's not reason for her to return for the war if anything she would stay far far away, and I doubt she would think her mother couldn't handle herself. Her dream at the end even shows her without the shackles so Rosa would be imagined at full power (which is very formidable). It also makes sense to me that since she is the arch eve origin she would be the worst so to speak, she was the origin everyone else deviated from her and gained new strength where she didn't. But this is all my own cracked out game theory and thinking too much about it (it's not that deep im just a hater of 3)

Now onto Lukaon, I hate him more the learn about him. why are we supposed to root for their romance when all he was shown to do was manipulate cereza and try to murder her closest friend, like yeah he was desperate but he was still an antagonist. They also just straight up made him a clone of cereza, I won't go into how much I dislike that trope but I didn't like it in stranger things dont like it here. They are just ruining Luka to me and I don't like that I enjoyed bayo 1 &2 luka but now he is a shell of what he used to be. I will say that due to being a hater, I did call lukaon being a villain from the beginning. What I didn't call was Morgana being evil and being his mom.

Onto jeanne, her little side story has just made her death worse for me. You are telling me that she KNEW how she was going to die and just did nothing. Nah, this woman may be insane but she isn't stupid. She so into preserving the umbra legacy and having them live on, she would just accept her death.

Also on that note, the destiny thing. Platinum seems to be backpeddling on the themes of destiny. Bayo 1&2 were all about how you can change your destiny and that fate isn't set in stone but in 3 and origins they say you cannot change destiny and it will course correct if you do so it will always happen. Which imo is detrimental to the story cuz that was always a good message but whatever I'm not a writer (even if I try to be sometimes)

I've realized this is all me complaining and it makes me seem like I hate this game, I don't, I live it! It's just easier for me to put my complaints into words than just saying "it's great!" Over and over.

I will say I loved all the characters (minus lukaon) and I really wish they used the fairies instead of the lameculus, they were so fun and actually unique! But that wouldn't make sense in the lore (even if it still kinda doesn't, like why are there no good fairies that support the true royals??? Maybe they weren't as popular as lukaon said) anyway love the little guys. And the wisps! They were super cute. I do wish we had more of Cereza and Jeanne interacting as they were supposed to be best friends as kids but im not too upset as cereza was in the forest the whole time (maybe some flashbacks would have been fun) and here I go complaining in my positive section lol. Anyway it's a great game and it actually brought back my enthusiasm for the series

[lemonhemlock]

i have to say, you guys are relentless, i only need to post one helaemond-related ask and it inevitably brings all the boys to the yard :))

don't get me wrong, i enjoyed reading your takes & i'm posting them under the cut for anyone who wants to read such rants, but, at this point, with so little content, i feel like there's not really a lot more i can personally add to fandom critique that i haven't already said (discourse and metas anyone can find if they go through my designated tag).

so i hope you won't feel offended & this is 100% a helaemond blog but i am going to pause the shipping wars topic for the time being unless something fresh hits our port or we get some kind of news / additional content (maybe like scripts? would love to see those!)

it's been more than a year since the season ended and we've made all the arguments we could possibly make, but we can't control if there are users who still rehash the same three talking points over and over

Anonymous asked: The kids theory was always a long shot and to be fair, their paternity doesn't really matter for the ship to happen. Helaemond can still have romantic feelings to each other without the kids being his, but like you said, if the ship doesn't get confirmed as canon antis and Aemondwives will all be like "We told you so!!! You were all delusional and you should've stopped shipping it!!!!"...okay? It still doesn't change the fact the writers most likely played with the possibility. Setting up potential storylines and not picking them up in a later season is something that has always been happening in TV especially when the team behind the show changes in between seasons like it happened with hotd this time (maybe those who speculated that Sapochnik came up with the idea of Helaemond were right?). Idk how many chances the ships still has if the leaks about B&C being at the end of episode 1 or in episode 2 are real (I doubt there can be a romance after the event), but whatever happens people won't stop shipping it. Non-canon pairings have always been a thing in fandoms and sometimes they may even be more popular than canon ones. It's still baffling to me how hated this ship has become in the fandom though.

Anonymous asked: it feels very obvious because a lot of these fans won’t bring the same “it’s non-canon/made up/etc” vibe to something like Aegond or Daemond, but they will to Helaemond bc they fear it might actually happen in canon. Which, if it does, has nothing to do with the shippers and comes from the writers 😭

Anonymous asked: Some antis are now making up crap about Helaemond shippers hating on Ewan. One of them even made a list and they were listed as his top haters (they also included TB stans and L*cemond shippers but...Alicent and Aegon stans for some reasons as well lmao) while another one claimed Helaemonds are currently bashing Ewan by generally making fun of him and of his looks because of the ship not happening???? I don't know whose comments made them angry but I've yet to see one Helaemond bullying and actually hating on him. Not saying nasty H shippers don't exist but why claim all of them are doing something like this when it clearly isn't the case? At most I've seen people making fun of some of the things he says in interviews but this is not hate. People are allowed to joke.

lmao, people lightheartedly joshing around and pointing out some cringe statements is not hate, dictionaries exist!

Anonymous asked: The funniest thing about the crowing reaction all of the Ewan-obsessed twitter fans had to this supposed leak is when it comes to what canonical "confirmation" Helaemond shippers as a whole most often discussed it was a type of courtly love; probably unconsummated feelings between the two. The kids theory was a niche fun fanon theory mainly used for fics and headcanons, and most people who are still participating in this fandom had little to no "expectation" that we would see that on the show. Funny to point out that expectation isn't even the correct word to use here, as Helaemonds by and large were completely fine with no type of canonical confirmation, and were mainly excited for any Aemond and Helaena interactions we may get in the new season. It's a non-canon ship, people are drawn to all of the potentials they personally see in this dynamic, and how it can be explored in fan content. Shippers like this very rarely care about canonicity - not to say they wouldn't welcome it of course on the off chance it happened, but that is not a priority of their engagement in fandom.

[afusionoffandoms]

I often think about how easier my life would be if I were conventionally attractive.

Don't get me wrong. I don't look myself in the mirror and wish I looked good for the sake of looking good. I just wish I were treated that way.

When you're conventionally attractive, you get better job opportunities, and you get better paid. You get more social opportunities, from being first pick for games or projects, to having more friends, love interests and overall being more desirable to spend time with. Your opinions weigh more, and people are more inclined to listen to you, and care about you. Me? When I was a kid/teenager and the PE teacher had us form a circle or something, people literally refused to stand closer than 6 feet away from me, even though I've always been a very clean person. I've never been given pet/nicknames. I know for a fact that if I were to start a GoFundMe to help my medical expenses, I wouldn't get a single dollar.

If you're conventionally attractive, you get compliments just for existing. You post a selfie and people actually compliment you. Slay, girl. Smash. Daddy. Goals. Pretty thing. I've never experienced that. Not once have I been complimented on a random pic of myself, I'm only complimented if I've done something truly spectacular. All compliments have to be hard-earned and even then, they're very conservative. People have to be careful not to seem like they're attracted to me, for that would be embarrassing and make them seem weird. I could never use myself as a model to show something I've created, or in order to create something, since it would negatively affect what the subject is. Never have I been praised for simply existing. The world has never told me I have any reason to feel good - or even neutral - about the way I look.

I think about how my medical history would've looked so different and been so much easier for me to work through, how much more healthy I would've been today, if only medical professionals had treated me like they treat conventionally attractive individuals. If I would've been given the same treatments and trusted and taken seriously the same way. If people had an instinctual wish to treat me right.

I think about how movies, books, comics, series, music, video games, photography, art, podcasts, every single medium keeps telling me I'm undesirable both as a partner and a friend, that my existence is comical, that I'm unintelligent, selfish, lazy, greedy, filthy and evil unless proven otherwise. I can never find myself represented in media, or when you can build your own character. In perfect fictional worlds, I don't exist. Any instance where this stereotype is criticised or disproven, is treated as controversial and an exception to the rule.

I wonder what it would be like to be in a public space without being unfairly ignored or judged. It's either one or the other. You either don't exist at all - and don't deserve the time of day - or you exist too much and you're taking up too much space, judged mercilessly and picked apart. I can't go to the gym without getting looks of disapproval and disgust, which does nothing to encourage me to work harder. Imagine how much that damages you over time, even when you do your best to learn how to ignore the haters. It still doesn't change the fact that people do it. Doesn't change the fact that the average person still wants to treat you this way.

I'm not saying attractive people don't have challenges as well. I'm not saying there are minorities who don't have it worse.

But that doesn't change the fact that this is my life, and being unattractive means I have a considerable amount of additional hurdles to overcome - hurdles that I can't change with my mindset, hurdles that are unnecessary and wouldn't have to be there if people simply decided not to place them in my way.

[eliiflanddd]

I have been thinking about writing something like this for a long time—a sort of gossip column, but I’m not sure. All I know is that I want to be like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. I’m a big yapper like her. I can yap about nothing and everything for hours. I’m not a big talker in real life, but I love writing about my thoughts, not my feelings because, let's face it, feelings are complicated. We don't tolerate emotions here. I used to think I was a lover girl, but apparently, I'm a leaver girl, and it's definetely worse. I figured this out last year when I ghosted a man for the first time. He was a sweet guy, but he just couldn't hold a conversation. I mean if I had to choose between a guy who can't text and a loaded gun, the gun would probably go off. I like my men to be good texters and big yappers you know? If he can't even keep a conversation going, how is he going to keep a marriage together? We need to watch out for these type of things, sisters. Anyway then I realized, "Damn, I didn't know we could just leave people on delivered and never talk to them again. It's funnnnn." (this may be fun for me, but I know it wasn't fun for him. i mean I have my reasons though and it feels justified enough, especially since he was so passive and that's just not doing it for me. I like being dominant, but come on, do something.) I guess I have to accept that I might end up alone, or something. I just feel alone, you know? Does anyone else feel like this, or is it just me not being into love? I mean, I know I can love really well if I get the chance, but the whole process of getting to know someone and turning it into a relationship just seems hard. It's a big change for me, too, because I've never had a relationship and all the responsibilities that come with it. And don't even get me started on "there are plenty of fish in the sea." Because it freaks me OUT! There are so many guys out there, and I'm supposed to commit to just one of them? Do I sound like a man right now? Oh my gosh, maybe I do. I think all the failed talking stages turned me into a different person. I've been thinking about this, too. Are men the only ones who are allowed to treat people poorly in relationships? I can treat a guy like shit, too. I've seen that they don't seem to get hurt, so maybe that's the right path. But if women started to act like men in relationships, wouldn't the human species go extinct? Because let's face it, women are the ones who keep relationships working. They care. Do men not care? If I don't care about the person I'm in a relationship with, does that make me a man? I hope not because I don't like and/or trust them. How can I trust men if men even don't trust men? It's common knowledge not to trust them. Every woman has a reason not to trust them, too—some because of their dad, and some because of, well, every man probably. You get the point, right? Men aren't reliable and now I'm going to be single forever because of it. Even if a man were to beg me to believe him and confess his love for me (this happened last night),

I wouldn't believe it. I've lost my faith and respect for the male sex. I also told him that I didn't believe him, I might've called him a liar too, but that's off-topic. It's hard, you know. Whenever I feel like I can let my guard down for him, the little man-hater inside my head starts screaming and kicking and crying in my ears. I would love to have a boyfriend, don't get me wrong. But I would also want to get married, and I don't want to marry the first guy I see on the street. I'd like to take things slow. Now, this guy who is supposedly in love with me said he'd give me time but also wants attention. I mean, sure, we talk every day, isn't that enough? I'm just tired of trying to date at this time of day. I would genuinely love an arranged marriage, and I'm not even kidding. At least we'd have to marry, I guess because that's the whole point. Also, my mother(who had an arranged marriage) always said arranged marriages last longer, so I don't know; I'll probably have one in the future. As I said, I want a boyfriend, but I also want a husband. So what's the point of boyfriend if not husband? But also, I'm 18, so I can't just marry the first guy I meet. There are so many people in the world; what are the odds of me finding my soulmate out of all these people? I might as well just marry the first guy I meet because there is no way I will actually get to meet my soulmate. But I feel like soulmates and husbands are a topic for another article. Anyway, I know I've said all of this, but I kind of hope that I'll get a boyfriend soon because I'm actually going crazy. I'm going to start college in a month and I've had zero boyfriends in 18 years, so it's getting kind of lame.

Goodbyeeeee <333

[ianwaite]

How sweet, yes I indirectly do, so what? IF your best was ever a Snafender and became after reading the original hp books properly a Snater, then your best friend shall prove it. Otherwise I don't believe your friend.

Cause both blocked me now:

Your answer (the indented text) has shown me that you have never dealt intensively with "snafending", if at all.

Yknow-you can hate someone and still find them interesting at the same time

I do not hate. Hate is very strong, childish emotion. I dislike, f.e. Dumbledore to leave Harry blind for a whole year and forced Sev to kill him.

I am aware of what they bring to the story, they're very interesting and I'm glad they add what they do to the story-and I still hate em.

If ya hate them, you should hate Lupin, Black, Voldemort etc even more.

Snape bullied children.

You didn't read the link, sad.

He bullied Neville so much he became the kid's Boggart. Boggarts show a persons worst fear.

Then Hermione fears McGonagall.. you don't hate her, no? The boggart argument is no argument to allow yourself to hate Sev. If you use it, you should hate ALL the things/livings that became boggarts to the children in HP/that scene.

At the time a infamous killer was supposedly on the lose, and his worst fear was his teacher.

And Hermione's was McGonagall and Ron's was a spider and ...

He didn't care about anything else except for Lily-He called her a slur though. And people wonder why she ditched him.

I do not wonder about it. I dislike her, cause she was no true friend. She wanted to get rid of Sev after she no longer had any use for him.

He told Voldemort to kill James and Harry but not Lily. He told Voldemort to kill a newborn.

What? He didn't told Voldy this. Voldy told him, he will kill them all! You switch POVs here. How could Sev in his position beg for the child that is THE enemy of his Master? Voldy would have Avadad him immediately, the Potters after that and what story would we have had then? You never were a Snafender - otherwise you would not have come to such unlogical conclusion.

You're saying this like I don't acknowledge the good things he's done. Again since they were influential to the series I kinda have to. But to overlook all the bad? Yeah not happening. I've dealt with my fair share of emotionally abusive teachers for that to happen. I've dealt with my share of emotional abuse.

And to copy your own experience on Sev is correct? He is not your teacher and he never will! If he reminds you of your teacher, he helped you to see their abusive behavior and that helped you - I bet - to think it over. Their abusive behavior was their fault, never yours and I bet, they had their personal reasons too and those had nothing to do with you personally ... like Sev had - no trauma help, no education how to teach, no supportive love of his parents (as far as we know) and the wrong peer group (DE) - he had to fit in to stay a spy.

Harry did think it over and named his kid after Sev, and you think his parents wouldn't have allowed that? Why do you think Harry named his kid after Sev?

Cause all his "emotional abuse" was only Harry's POV. Seeing Sev's memories opened his eyes, seeing Sevs POV made it clear to Harry that Sev only had to be this way and could not become differently - he had to be the spy, to fulfill his promise, to keep Harry protected. If Sev would had been kind to Harry (THE enemy of DEs) - not emotional abusive - would he had been an accepted DE? No.

You're assuming quite a bit about me. I've read the Harry Potter books a dozen times over. There what got me into reading in the first place.

Read them again in 5 years and the link completely, please.

I am not a senseless hater. I am not senseless. I need reasons for my hate. I need proof. And I have it.

That's why I changed my outlook on him. You have proof to 'love', I have to 'hate'.

Your proof is no proof to me, cause it his based on Snaters POV not on neutral human POV.

Let's go on our separate ways. Where either you block me or I block you. Or you just get off my blog. Love with the people who love with you. Leave me be.

Ok. Sadly you decided over my head. I use an old trick now ... I am sorry, but I feel the need to do so.

I will use the anti snape tag. I'll still get interaction. I already have by fellow 'Snaters' I mean have you seen the likes and reblogs?

Oh really? No, didn't see it. I am sorry. Yeah some of us Snovers can be very ... rude.

I still don't believe you were once a Snafender and became a Snater after reading the books properly ... properly reading btw means that you read sth from a neutral -meta- POV. You have to accept ALL in the text at first without judging it (morally) and find out why it's written this way and not the other way. Most readers read a text from their personal POV. That's why we have many -mostly young- Snaters and still some Snafenders.

I hope you are alright and are old enough to not take this and the internet in common too personal.

I wish you all you need.

RIP James and Lily Potter you would've never let Harry name his kid 'Albus Severus' Potter

[cdarkheartzero]

Thanks for your post talking about zadr. I've shipped it for a long time but after recap kid got death threats and was bullied so bad I've been afraid to share my art. ;n;

Real talk- I don’t blame you. And it just sucks so damn bad that it has to be like that. People hiding behind “anonymous” and saying just terrible things that they would never have the balls say in real life (face to face). There is NO REASON to harass/threaten people because of something they like. It’s not hurting anyone. Also- these characters are not REAL. And if I see a ship I don’t like, I just...don’t look at it. Or if I see it....I keep scrolling.

I give nothing but admiration to those people strong enough in themselves to post their art/fics/etc and just ignore the haters and trolls. Seriously, thank you all for the great stuff. You are stronger than I.

And that’s not to say anything about people who are anti’s. I know PLENTY of wonderful people who don’t ship Zim and Dib. You can NOT LIKE ZADR (or any ship for that matter) but be a normal, civilized human being. Recapkid, or any shipper, doesn’t deserve to be bullied. Period and end of story.

I can’t change the hearts and actions of those around the web. I can’t make people accept your work as much as I wish I could. If it makes you feel any better, I have met truly wonderful people in the fandom and have personally run into very few crazies. I think things have improved since then.

As my followers told me- do what makes you comfortable. If you think you can handle the BS, post that shit and show the world your incredible stuff! They make the “block” feauture for a reason. If you don’t think you can mentally/spiritually handle the (potential) negative feedback, you and anyone else are ALWAYS welcome to message me and show your work. I know it’s not much but I hope it’s something.

I also spoke to my best bro @faithfulwhispers-art / @faithfulwhispers and she is a huge ZaDr fan and wants to help. She has kindly offered to accept your illustrations to post FOR YOU on her page (NO NSFW, please). She’s the best, I know. She turned on submissions on her main blog @faithfulwhispers . You can also check out her ZaDR art and admire her GODLY coloring too if ya want.

Thank you so much for writing that though. May things improve and feel free to write again anytime!

[ben-solo98]

I can’t believe anyone at Warner Bros thought it was a good idea to release the theatrical version of JUSTICE LEAGUE when this version exists. I’m glad Zack was allowed to come back and show us his true vision. It could just be the 4 hour runtime, but it feels like an epic from the classic days of Hollywood. I really like Zack Snyder, I think he's a visionary director. I also think he's overpraised and overhated at the same time. He has a very vocal and passionate fanbase who think he's a god of cinema and then there's an equally vocal group of people who think he's one of the worst things to ever happen to movies. I like him a reasonable amount. Even if I don't always love his movies in their entirety, he's puts some of the most beautiful visuals on screen that I've ever seen, especially in the comic book movie genre. He also made me appreciate Superman, I've loved superheroes my entire life, but I was mostly into Marvel when I was a kid and when I did venture over to DC it was primarily for Batman, couldn't care less about Superman. Boring. Until I sat in a packed theater in June of 2013 to watch MAN OF STEEL in IMAX 3D and Zack Snyder (and everyone else involved) blew my mind and finally made me understand/appreciate the character of Superman. I'll even defend that Kevin Costner death scene, I don't care. Supes is only a small part of this film, but all of the scenes featuring him and/or the supporting characters from his solo ouing were some of my favorites, because of what Zack and the cast (especially Henry Cavill) had set up in the previous two films, but also because it was usually underlined by Hans Zimmer's amazing Superman theme.

On paper, the story is very similar to the theatrical version, but it feels like a completely different film. I didn't hate the theatrical cut when it first came out, but it definitely felt like it was nowhere near what it could have been and the more time that has passed and more we've learned about the controversies behind the scenes of those reshoots, the more problems I've found myself having with it. There's a different tone to this cut and while it's still not a perfect film, it's executed 1,000 times better. There's only about 4 or 5 scenes that I think are exactly the same and obviously since this movie is twice as long it's mostly new footage. My two favorite scenes from the theatrical version were Wonder Woman's entrance and the History of the Mother Boxes. Both scenes were still present here, but they were extended, more brutal and all around more awesome. Which just proves you gotta let Zack complete his vision, he knows what he's doing. It also proves that most of what was likable about the last one was because of Zack. Ray Fisher as Cyborg was a big highlight for me the last time around. Another character I didn't really care about until I saw his portrayal of him, which really says something about how great of an actor he is because he's been very vocal about how he was mistreated making that version of the movie, plus his role wasn't nearly as significant, but he still came out as one of the only really great things about that film. He's even better here, we get some much needed backstory on his character and next to Superman, he's kind of the heart and soul of the movie, it all falls apart without him. And it's refreshing to see a black character like this portrayed in such a positive way, I'm certainly not an expert on the subject, but I couldn't help but think that we don't really get to see black men cry much on screen. I really hope this isn't the last time we see him take on this role.

Ezra Miller as the Flash is a big step up as well, I didn't hate their interpretation in the last film, but the Flash was definitely my least favorite character. Wasn't ever excited about the character's upcoming solo film until now, my mind has been changed. Ezra Miller is a very solid Barry Allen and brings some much needed humor to the table. His powers are also fully utilized here, that's the thing about this cut of the movie, every character gets their moment to shine. I still think this film was lacking in the Aquaman department, there's some continuity issues between this movie and his stand alone feature. Mainly that we're introduced to two supporting players from his film and they feel like completely different characters. All of my Aquaman problems happen in the first half, I still thought Jason Momoa did a great job. I'm one of the few people (maybe the only person) who's been a Batfleck fan since the day they announced Ben was cast in the role, it's a shame we'll never get to see him in any Batman solo movies, I was really looking forward to that. J.K. Simmons is only in two scenes as Commissioner Gordon, but I want like 5 Batman films with him reprising his role. There's actually a few big actors who were in the first one and I didn't know why they agreed to do it and they don't get much more screen time here, but they actually feel crucial to the story. Also Jeremy Irons is an underrated Alfred, I think Jeremy Irons is just underrated period.

Steppenwolf is definitely a worthy villain this time around. I don't know why Joss Whedon decided to change his design or his motives/backstory, or why you'd completely cut out Darkseid, but that sucked, this was good. Occasionally he'd say something that made him sound like a bad guy from an 80s cartoon or old video game, but overall it was good.

Tom Holkenborg's score is phenomenal. Danny Elfman did it for the other one, I usually like him, but Tom's works a lot better. And some of Danny's comments make it seem like he has a really big ego and Tom's have made me feel the opposite. Almost everytime Wonder Woman came on screen this female warrior cry/siren song (I don't know how else to describe it) would play, at first I thought it was cool, but after 4 hours it got old. That's my only criticism about the score. There were a few "strange" music choices, Zack is known for those, sometimes I think he just does it because he likes to troll the haters, I respect it regardless. But, the last film had two covers recorded for it I really liked: "Everybody Knows" by Sigrid and "Come Together" by Gary Clarke Jr. (Which I've been on record saying it's "better than the Beatles' version"). I missed those songs a little, but also, not a big deal, ultimately.

I thought the 4 hour runtime would be way too long, but honestly, it worked. Nothing felt unnecessary, the story flowed at a reasonable pace. Sure, you could have probably cut out the last twenty minutes because it gives the film 3 or 4 different endings that just set up future films that will probably never happen now (I hope I'm proven wrong), but as a fan, I loved those scenes. I'm looking forward to see what happens and if anything good in the realm of DC films comes of releasing this. 8.6/10.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

(Sansa anon here) I don't understand how fans can be so malicious to an 11-13 y/o character. They write meta about how she is so terrible in comparison to the other Stark kids, so weak and mediocre, malicious, two faced, doesn't know what love is, etc. And say that anyone who disagrees is stupid, wrong, just a "Sansa stan", etc. Has GRRM said anything to back any of it up? Or the books? It's been years since I've read them, but IDR anything like it. It hurts my heart...Sansa is special to me :(

Sansa anon! I haven’t heard from you in years! So good to see you, so to speak, and I hope you’re doing well, especially considering… everything really, sigh.

Anyway, again sigh, I don’t understand those malicious fans either. I wish it were only shownly fans and their attitude towards a now-adult woman, but I still see it from supposed book-only fans too. Stupid damned shipwars certainly don’t help – they’ve even given a terrible reputation to “sansa stans”, and it’s so hard to fight that when there are horrible character-bashing Sansa fans being misogynist and delusional as fuck in the name of their awful ship. (Though you sometimes get some misogynist and delusional ones on the other side, too, alas.) Nevertheless, I do claim to be a Sansa stan, still, and fuck all haters (both sides, tyvm).

Do the books back up this hate? No, I would certainly say – of course people can interpret things the way they like, but they’re wrong. :)  Though I’m afraid I don’t have the time to research word-by-word, sorry, but let me just refer you to @turtle-paced’s wonderful post about Sansa’s intelligence, for one, and other posts on @asoiafuniversity about Sansa may help you too.

Has GRRM said anything to back up the hate? No, not at all. The opposite, rather. A few points by him:

He did say when he created the Starks, they got along too well (families aren’t like that), so he developed Sansa as Arya’s opposite. And that Sansa and Arya still have deep issues to work out. That doesn’t make Sansa “terrible”, just very different from her sister, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

His original pitch letter for ASOIAF did not include Sansa as part of the “five central characters” and in fact gave her a pretty bad fate. However, he was very annoyed that the letter was released to the public, as it was intended for him and his publisher only. He said that in the outline he was “making shit up” and “characters changed along the way”. And notably, when asked about the fates of the “main five”, he also included Sansa: “Tyrion, Arya, Jon, Sansa, you know, all of the Stark kids, and the major Lannisters, yeah.”

“[We] mentioned to George that some people gave Sansa and Catelyn a lot of grief, claiming they “whined” too much. George was quite adamant that he disagreed with those readers.”

“… it is not a case of all or nothing. No single person is to blame for Ned’s downfall. Sansa played a role, certainly, but it would be unfair to put all the blame on her. But it would also be unfair to exonerate her.” (more on this subject here)

“I don’t concern myself over whether my characters are “likeable” or “sympathetic.” (I had my fill of that in television). My interest is in trying to make them real and human. If I can create a fully-fleshed three-dimensional character, some of my readers will like him/her, or some won’t, and that’s fine with me. That’s the way real people react to real people in the real world, after all. Look at the range of opinions we get on politicans and movie stars. If EVERYONE likes a certain character, or hates him, that probably means he’s made of cardboard. So I will let my readers decide who they like, admire, hate, pity, sympathize with, etc. The fact that characters like Sansa, Catelyn, Jaime, and Theon provoke such a wide range of reactions suggests to me that I have achieved my goal in making them human.” (source)

So, yes… Sansa may be a divisive character in the fandom… but that just means that GRRM thinks she’s more fully human character than a less-divisive one. Which I think is a good thing. :D   I hope this helps you, my dear Sansa anon, at least a little bit, and please feel free to use my submit box if you want to reply anonymously while my inbox is closed, no worries about the guidelines there.

[littlemxmisfit]

So it's pride month, obviously. Last year I was really active during pride month doing a pride bingo from Tumblr. This year, I'm struggling to find what to say. It's the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting. Something that should never have happened and it seems like everything has gone down hill since then. All the anti-trans bills, the Don't Say Gay bill, the bathroom debate. It just seems like the hate has been amped up to 100 since 2016. And in a way, it has because all the bigots, haters, trolls were shown that they can get away with their hate. And I also know that I was looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses. I firmly believed that if I just helped educate others about the LGBTQIA+ community the hate would go away. I trusted my government and the politicians that I elected would do the right thing. I grew up hearing about trans people being murdered and nothing being done about it. I remember waking up the day of the Pulse shooting, the feelings I felt, the tears I shed. I thought if I shared resources, facts about the LGBTQIA+ community, and other people's posts that wrote far more eloquently than I was enough. Then, the leak from the Supreme Court about overturning Roe v Wade came out. Up till now, I hadn't been directly attacked. I've been blessed to not to have had hate directed at me personally. And I know that the Supreme Court isn't going directly at me, they're going at everyone with a uterus. But this is what woke me up, it gave me the kick in the ass that I needed. I knew that after Trump won, even well after he was out of office, that the hate would continue. But I still thought something would happen to show that we will not stand for hate. Yet here we are halfway into 2022 and none of the big wig politicians that helped to incite the January 6th insurrection have gotten in trouble. Sure they're getting investigated and the democrats are hopeful they have enough to charge Trump but it's taken this long to do something about it and there is still that possibility that nothing will happen. Marjorie Taylor Greene and many other bigoted politicians are still in office. I voted for Kyrsten Sinema twice, I donated to her campaign. I was so proud to have a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in our government, I believed that she was going to do what she promised to do. And she turned out to be just as corrupted as the other politicians. I've lost faith and trust in my government and the people who run this country. I grew up loving my country, I was a patriot. I can see how great this country could be and yet we just keep going backwards. This isn't a "I'm giving up post", it's far from that. This is a "I love my country but we can do so much better" post.

I saw a post on Facebook today. It was a parent talking about their trans son and how important gender affirming care is. It was a beautiful post with various pictures of the sons journey, you could feel the joy radiating from his smile. It made me smile. Then I go into the comment section(I know, big no-no) and I see all this hate and ignorance. What got me the most were people saying that kids are too young to know their body. I know from personal experience that that claim is bullshit. I was 6 years old when I started telling people that I'm neither a boy or a girl, I didn't have the word Non-Binary at the time so I took the word tomboy and changed its meaning for myself to mean both boy and girl. Because if I don't feel like either then surely that means I'm both. I was wrong and it took until I was 20 to learn that but that's what happens when you live in a progressive society. We discover terms that we didn't have before. Anyway, back to the post. I see all these comments and I originally was just going to share the post and write my own little blurb. I started to do that and I just stopped. This is my problem, I don't use my own voice. I use others. I've been taught to never stoop to your opponents level. Don't raise your voice instead speak calmly. Both can be good advice but there comes a time to raise your voice and to call out people for what they are. So I wrote my own comment. I wrote about my experience in being gender non-conforming, about my suicide attempt at 16 due to all the hate in the world. I didn't stoop to their level but I called them out on their hate and ignorance. I used my voice.

A band of mine released a new album last month. I was really busy and was able to give it a listen just recently. The band is Halestorm and the album is Back From the Dead. I could gush about this album all day as I think it might be their best yet but there is one song that really resonates with me. It's called Terrible Things(I'll share it after I post this if Tumblr lets me). One of the lines is "I see a sickness in a world on its knees". The song is really beautiful and it perfectly describes how I feel right now. I see how we can change this world, I see how we can get to the best version of ourselves. And yet, we just don't do anything and those that do raise their voices get hate. We'd rather be content living in a world full of hate than admit that we need to change. I don't want to be content with our world as it is today, I want to change the world. As of right now, I don't see much of a future for anyone. I'm prepared to die fighting for what I believe in and for what is right. I will no longer go silently into the night, I will go kicking and screaming. By all means celebrate Pride for what it is and for how far we have come. But keeping reminding yourself that we still have so much to do.