#It's so flawed I adore it

[lazy-b1rdy]

I finished my paper Nigel :')

He is so stupid looking and crumbles to the touch (me irl) and I want him DEAD.

(and I'm DEFINITELY not crying about making him bc Jacob and the stone started playing and I feel so bad for him now and started to think of how I managed to create him with my own hands--!!!! )

Tehee :3 (I am not okay 👍)

[codenamethebird]

God I have so much to say about Melinoe's characterization, and the fasinating implications about her future arc/the overarching plot of hades 2. I want to make a larger think piece with pictures but for the moment I'm just going to focus on this one specific thread.

In the wake of the Prometheus reveal, she has a slew of convos about his motivations for siding with Chronos, and the gods basically all go: this is his vengeance for us punishing him a tad cruelly. And Nemesis is like, yeah the gods 100% deserve it. But Meli's responds that he must have more motivation than just vengeance, it can't just be that. But when Prometheus explicitly goes, 'I'm doing this because the gods are horrible to humanity and I love humans,' she basically goes, no he must be lying. That motivation is both too pure, but also humans kind of suck why would you care about them?

Mel's humanity hot takes deserve it's own essay (Ms I think Humans should have never gotten fire and are better when they are dead), and I just want to focus on the former for now. She can not comprehend that Prometheus is fighting the gods for noble reasons. It just does not make sense to her. Mel's world is so black and white. She doesn't understand the nuance of the situation, and the thought that the gods might be actually in the wrong doesn't even get close to crossing her mind.

It's a fascinating (and horrifying) result of her upbringing. Of the constant state of war and the very convenient big bad that is Chronos, the evil monster who stole her family. If she accepts that his side isn't completely evil, that they might even be right in some (even many) respects, she would have to grapple with her whole life. Everything she believes would be thrown into question, the literal thing she was training her whole life for.

She can't have Prometheus fighting for a noble cause, because he fights for Chronos whose the Bad Guy tm. But he also can't be fighting for something as simple as vengeance, because that would also mean she would need to really think about what he's angry about. If the punishment was truly so unnecessary cruel.

When talking to Odysseus about Prometheus, when Ody's saying how much he respected him for stealing the fire despite knowing the consequences, Mel says that it was the price to be paid for breaking Olympus's decree. To her, Olympus's rules are sacred and ultimately good. Unquestionably. Prometheus broke the rules with intent, so to her, why would he be so angry at the consequences? Especially if he knew because of his power they were going to happen.

So he must have another reason, some secret machiavellian plan that drives him. Except as I already said, it brings her right back to him doing it for humanity, which she also can't accept. Because that would be admiting that the gods did something wrong to humans. She twists herself into knots to justify her worldview, and it's fascinating! She's so messy I adore her.

Please Supergiant please the final surface boss has to be a human pleeeaaasse (preferably a living one). Or at least have one (or more) show up in some other capacity. Mel needs to come face to face with the other side and have it utterly destroy her worldview.

And/or have (Pan)Dora betray her for Prometheus, that would also be very fun haha.

[hallowshumour]

First rate town.

🌊❌️🟦🏭

[turtleblogatlast]

Small but significant character moments that I actually really adore are from both the times we see the boys as tots. There is a reoccurrence that happens in both of them that I find so incredibly interesting.

For the turtle tot short, Splinter leaves the boys with weapons. In the short, Raph is the one who suggests they do “what Lou Jitsu would do” and Leo is the one who takes point when Splinter comes back to reprimand them. Leo, in taking point, is the one to defend them and get Splinter off their tails.

And then, in the flashback regarding the Kuroi Yōroi helmet, Raph is the one who grabs and throws “Skully” as a way to replace their missing ball which breaks it into pieces, but Leo is the one who speaks for the group and rushes into action to fix the teapot.

I love this for multiple reasons, but the biggest are how it shows that Raph has always been inclined toward the bold and fun and making the plans to include his brothers in what he loves and believes they’d love, whereas Leo has always been inclined to be the “Face” of the group and shoulder the attention even if it’s potentially negative all while coming up with on the spot attempts to fix the situation.

[itwoodbeprefect]

there's a character on this show whose name alternately gets romanized as got or god and it's the best thing that has happened to me this week

[lully-jo]

To give my own two cents about Alphi being failed by all the adults around him, it really is complicated and nuanced but I really do agree that there isn't anything short of tying him up that any adult could do to get him to listen to them. The Crystal Braves was HIS project, his baby. Given he's a legal adult in this world, there is nothing they could have done to stop him and knowing Alphi he wouldn't be stopped BECAUSE of his immense ego. He's considered a prodigy, he comes from a very high profile family and lots of privilege. How the hell do you step in to stop this kid when he has access to more resources, is legally an adult, it's HIS project, and the boy is self-righteous and has an ego to rival any peacock? Not to mention, there were warning signs--he was warned! It didn't change anything. This was HIS blunder and his alone. He wasn't some uncertain child stumbling through the politics of Ul'dah, he was confidently barking orders and making plans that HE thought were best because his sense of self was so high.

My favorite thing about Alphinaud is that yes he's a prodigy with lots of privilege and resources and can be a know-it-all, but deep down he does have really good intentions. His problem is that he is far too smart for his own good and it clouds his judgement. His lofty ambitions cause problems and he ends up causing more harm than good. Seeing how he really humbled himself throughout Heavensward and by the end realizes that he needs to get a new foundation to stand on--that his reason for fighting needs to change... ugh, it had me bawling my eyes out.

By the end of the Dragonsong Quests, Alphi learns that it's not about the politics or the governing bodies, it's about THE PEOPLE. He learns to re-center his values on people rather than conceptual ideas of nation and peace. I love him so much for the way he grows and comes to that conclusion.

If we want to claim Alphinaud was failed by adults, we'd have to start with his entire upbringing. He got into that position because he was a privileged child prodigy and it clouded his judgement, not because he wasn't protected by his comrades who were equally as caught up in their own saviorism.

[evenmorebeetles]

One of the things that always really fascinated me about Sakura's character is how manipulative she is.

I was rewatching the anime with my partner because it was their first time, and when Sakura finds Sasuke to beg him not to go to Orochimaru, my partner said that they were a little disappointed that romance was emphasized in that scene over friendship, and I said, "You know, I think Sakura would have told Sasuke she loved him whether she did or didn't. She knows that he cares about her. I think Sakura would say anything she had to to get him to stay."

And the most obvious example of this is when she does that exact thing to Naruto before the Five Kage Summit, lying about having feelings for him in order to save him, and that scene is what I was referencing when I made the comment, but throughout the course of the anime, there are several other moments where Sakura either outright lies and cons or uses her feelings as a weapon to get her way.

She does it right when Team 7 is formed, when Naruto plays the eraser prank on Kakashi. Her inner monologue shows that she thinks it's hilarious, but instead she puts up this facade. She berates Naruto because she thinks it'll make her appear cooler to Sasuke, and she tells Kakashi that she told Naruto not to do it and that she would never do something like that because she wants to portray herself as not only superior to Naruto but as the good one, the innocent one, the one who can do no wrong.

She does it to Sai, Kiba, and Lee when she knocks them unconscious so that she can go kill Sasuke by herself. She does it when tells Sasuke that she wants to join him so that she can get close to him. She does it again when, at the end of the war, she begs Sasuke one last time. She even does it in Sasuke Retsuden when she cons Penjira at cards and reveals that she's been doing the same to Tsunade for years. And these are just off the top of my head, I'm sure there's more.

Basically I'm saying that everyone should consider themselves lucky that Sakura's on Konoha's side because if she was the one with the villain arc? She'd be ruthless.

[warning-heckboop]

I like to think in the Gifted au, Peri legitimately blames Dev for everything going wrong in his life until Irep or someone slaps some sense into him like "my guy, that is a barely ten year old child"

[morporkian-cryptid]

I feel like the fandom is sleeping on the 2023 live-action Jigen Daisuke movie.

Do you want to see Jigen very confidently state "I can't stand kids, they irritate me", then five minutes later proceed to lay his entire life down for a traumatized little girl?

Do you want to watch him wreck a bunch of assassin's shits with only his bare hands and a table?

Do you want to see some actual real-life badass fight scenes that we never see in the anime because it would cost a fortune to animate?

Do you want to watch Jigen actually get his time to shine and show off not only badass gun fighting skills but also brilliant strategy?

Do you want to see a very gay florist who for some reason isn't in fact Lupin in disguise?

Do you want to see a kickass old lady gunsmith who for all intents and purposes has basically adopted Jigen?

Do you want to watch him fight back actual tears on TWO (2) separate occasions?

Do you want to see him fully adopt a child like seriously I cannot stress enough how wholesome his relationship with Oto is I actually melted into a puddle of feels several times

Then WATCH THE MOVIE PLEASE I promise it's really good!

Also Tetsuji Tamayama is very very handsome

Bonus: adorable gay-ass florist whom I am 100% convinced is Lupin in disguise

"...what just happened??"

Anyway. Movie good. You want to watch it. Reblog. (pssst I have a link 👀)

[giantkillerjack]

I saw a post complaining about people acting like Betty is some kind of poor little girl taken advantage of by her situation. And while I haven't seen this happening myself, it does make me laugh to think about because like,

Ma'am, that woman nearly killed everyone in the world *TWICE* trying to save her husband, INCLUDING TRYING TO MURDER ICE KING.

That woman has a body count that nobody asked her to make! She is just! So good! At crimes!! And we love that for her!!!

#girlboss #golbboss #God-Forbid-Women-Do-Anything

[darkfire359]

You know who I love? Edward Teach.

He's capable of such great selflessness and bravery: saving Stede's crew from the Spanish, taking the blame from Stede for Nigel's death, stepping in front of the firing squad, and taking the Act of Grace.

Yet he's also capable of such terrible cruelty: ordering a man flayed alive for a single insult, making a crewman kill his own dog, drowning someone who'd just tried to help him, burning a ship full of people alive, and of course the toe thing.

He's innocent and naive: curling into a ball and crying repeatedly from having done something bad, not understanding passive aggression and getting easily hurt by the French partygoers, and getting easily manipulated by Jack.

He's a charismatic manipulator: wowing and making friends with Stede's crew while keeping his hands on his weapons the whole time, flipping on the “insane eye-gouger” persona like a lightswitch to effortlessly intimidate the French captain, and even inventing the very concept of fuckeries (using fear to rule people).

He wears his emotions on his sleeve and is terrified of abandonment, getting easily heartbroken by Stede (and arguably reacting in e10 in large part due to fear of Izzy leaving him as well). He's stoic enough that he barely reacts at the mention of good crewmen dying for him.

He's a masochist who flirts by pointing a gun at his crush and asking them to stab him, and who asks his ex to whip him in the balls. He's a sadist who loves maiming people and who fed people their own body parts for a laugh. He's a goth who got his entire crew to wear black leather. He's a lover of pretty, bright colors who rocks a pink gown and made his first mate put purple bows in his beard.

He concocts brilliant plans but forgets the day's date. He's a master of the sea who thinks nature is annoying and stupid. He's a proud cannibal who loves sugar and sweet desserts. Sometimes he de-stresses by building a blanket fort, and sometimes he gets a pistol and tries to shoot up an entire party. He's a cute princess who can just as easily be a terrifying villain.

Ed is the most EVERYTHING of anyone on the show. It's no wonder so many people are in love with him.

[eddiebuckley-diaz]

X

[somedayillbepeterpan]

I found this as a reply to one of my posts: https://www.tumblr.com/somedayillbepeterpan/751907694547451904/im-pretty-sure-that-this-is-in-the-same-thought?source=share.

I had an answer and it turned into an exposition so I'm shouting it to the Tumblr void.

And this is in defence of Polin's first kiss. Which I adore completely. Seldom do I see a page from a book I've read jump out of the screen so perfectly. I'll make a post about it this week.

But, my answer to the reply above:

To be fair, there will always be a degree of desperation to any brave move. You have to feel as if you have no other choice but to do what you need to do to confront the action of being brave.

Also, why shouldn’t Penelope feel despair when she was in a desperate situation? The very nature of her situation worked against her. The marriage mart was designed to attract the “best matches” that will benefit the crown. Just imagine, you belong to a low ranking family whose been riddled with scandal since your first coming out in society. When Penelope says, “It is impossible to be in society and not care what others think. Society is composed of the judgment of others" speaks deeply of what hand she was served and what she has been doing to accommodate that.

Imagine living there 24/7. I mean, we all still do in this day and age. So, why should we punish a woman, who is coming into her own and discovering her sexuality, for asking for a kiss? From her friend who she trusts and has given his complete support on her journey of self-discovery?

Colin asks Penelope why she wants a husband and her response isn’t about love but of freedom and comfort. So that she can finally be free of the society’s judgment. Haven’t we all been there? I find Penelope's description of love to Debling on Ep 4 so beautifully profound --

And so, when she says "thank you" for Colin's kiss, I praise her for being brave.

Because finally, she stepped up for herself to find a connection. Whether or not it was to the opposite direction of the man she loved.

[smilesrobotlover]

That’s it, I’m tired of trying to have the “correct” Zelda opinion.

My top three favorite games are Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Phantom Hourglass.

[nines-09]

oh my god. the sheer nostalgia of d:bh fics. bro those andriod diagnostics had me in my feels in 2018. i cannot describe just how fucking obsessed i was with d:bh, that shit was my main fixation for nearly four fuckin years. istg i scoured every fuckin whumpy reed900 ao3 fic there was until 2021. i have never been more invested in any fandom or anything in my entire life

[rapha-reads]

To those of you wondering (aka no one), I finished both The Vampire Armand and Merrick and I have a lot of thoughts and feels. I'm skipping Blood and Gold for now to go directly to Blackwood Farm (I'll read B&G later), but first I'm going to read something else, just to take a break.

TVA thoughts: man, Armand is messed up. And extremely compelling. But so messed up. As always, the theme of faith crisis, which seriously reaches new heights with these bitchy vampires, is not something I can fully immerse myself in, but it was fascinating to see his numerous metamorphosis. I liked how he bridges Western and Eastern Christianisme, especially through art. Now I'm thinking that if Rolin Jones makes him originally Muslim in the show, that could expand even more the conversation on how faith, and especially Abrahamic faith, has been in conversation for thousands of years and could be such a rich, diverse and spiritual, intellectual and artistic theme. I can already imagine some fascinating discussions comparing (not in a superior way but in a complementary way) coming from Muslim faith to Roman Catholic faith, the way book!Armand talks about the richness of his life in Kiev Rus despite the poverty and ascetism, and the richness of his life in Venecia despite the luxury and abundance.

As for Benamin and Sybille... I don't have much thoughts about them. Sybille is one of those female characters AR seemingly favors, not so much human as a nymph or a dryad, "perfectly splendid". And Benji is a caricature of an Arab child. Nuance? 401 not found.

Merrick thoughts: David for the love if everything, shut. The. Fuck. Up. Holy moly. I like David, I do, but damn the entire recollection of his history with Merrick was looooooong. I'm here to see Louis haunted by Claudia and haunting Lestat's coma, not how hard you're pining for the kid you practically raised! Also. ALSO. You're just going to leave that whole thing with the Olmec or possibly another more ancient Mesoamerican civilisation without ever giving us more? That was the most interesting part of it all! The vodoo history, the connection between Louisiana and Caribbean vodoo and old Native South-American religions! More about this, less about Merrick's perfect breasts, I am begging you. (It is at this point that the reader of this post realises OP is 100% definitely ace and more interested in books and witchcraft than breasts and whether a 70yo man can still get it up - also, hey, Anne Rice's vampires are practically asexual and their lust and pleasure is mostly derivated from blood, with some notable exceptions like Armand and Marius, and a love relationship between two vampires is then based on romantic love and blood sharing, so can I hear a hell yeah for some ace representation or are we still conflating eroticism with sex)

Another thing I kept thinking about throughout the book is how Louis is perceived by his fellow vampires. Since basically the second book, since we've lost his own POV, everybody who's ever said anything about him (so Lestat, Armand and David) have insisted on two points: how very weak and meek Louis is, and also how irresistible, beautiful and charming. Granted, I've known Louis first through his portrayal on the show (hi Jacob you're so fiiiiiiine), and then through his own narration in the first book, but I've never had the impression that he was weak. Beautiful and seductive, yes. Weak? I see a human man going through tragedies and still enduring, going through vampiric transformation and then suffering for decades the loss of his humanity, struggling with reconciliating both sides of himself, but mostly I see a vampire who rebuilt himself after losing everything without sacrificing his sense of self. I see Louis as very strong actually (up to the point where resilience breaks, because resilience cannot be sustained on a long term, but that's another debate). He knows who he is, and don't you know how hard that is? He doesn't cling to faith or pride. He knows he's doomed, he knows he's monstrous, he knows there's nothing he can do to change that, and instead of railing against his fate, he goes on about his undead life. He gets his books and he reads them, he surrounds himself with literature and what little comforts he thinks in his shattered self-esteem he deserves (his ragged sweaters and soft trousers); let's not lie to ourselves tho, Louis doesn't like himself, or more exactly he doesn't care about his corporeal body - what matters to him is his mind, and once again, this author is extremely ace and also very aro and very nonbinary, so Louis to me is very much ace and agender coded, though really not aro, because his love for Lestat (and sometimes his fondness, shall we say, for Armand) is the only thing that can rouse him up from his literary slumber.

...

Oh, man, I have a lot to say about Louis, for how little he appears in the books so far. Still have BF, BC and the PL trilogy to devour. So I guess you can say, for as much as Lestat is occupying my entire brain, very much like him, my favorite is Louis? Yeah, that tracks. Melancholy, quiet, dark-haired green-eyed monster with more humanity than humans, preferring his solitude and the company of books to anyone else, hopelessly and helplessly devoted to one person, expert in brooding and grieving, literature specialist, not very attached to his physical self. Yeah. I'm not surprised.