#RT (ews)

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

The visceral reaction to Ember’s rant towards Rhysand says a lot. There’s genuinely so much to unpack about how her concern is not only disregarded by Rhysand's stans but also mocked, to some extent. And this again, brings me back to my initial point about the extent of misogyny in this story and among its fans. I also think it’s interesting to see the difference between how Feyre’s initial sass is perceived (by fans and the story) versus how Ember is perceived by fans for standing up for Nesta. It brings me back to the point that (1) the story only believes Feyre should be empowered, and the story (and fans) don’t believe that all female characters should also have those traits. My second (2) point is how quickly people rush to invalidate and/or disregard domestic violence and abuse when less favorable characters react because of it. Here we have a human woman, who was abused and held hostage by a powerful Fae lord, so much so that she must take her daughter and run. She – in another realm – sees another woman in need and sees her body behavior and stands up to this man who could literally just kill her. This is interesting because when Feyre throws her shoe at Rhysand ‘in defiance’ of Rhys, we are supposed to think this is positive, yet when Ember does the same thing (and with the support of the narrative – this is a moment where SJM is attempting to hold Rhys accountable, to some extent) she is mocked. Laughed at. It isn’t as endearing to those stans. How quickly (potential) violence against women becomes suddenly a joke......

[jokerx-art]

if you follow my ews blog, thanks for dealing with the random ramblings i got there so have these doodles from earlier in the year.

...when i say earlier this year, i mean it cause this is from april/may.

the 16-year-old god is stronger than all 4 of them

[hoodies-n-cola]

@eddtober 2023 - Day 11: Jon

BA BA BA DA DAAAAA BAT BA DA DA DAT

[fcukgrowingup]

Rooster teeth shutting down is so surreal because I haven’t even paid attention to their content for 5 years, (since the RH situation tbh) which in itself left it’s scars.

But the most surreal is thinking about how many people I showed RWBY, their Animated adventures, and let’s play. I was literally FIXATED on achievement hunter from age 13–20. They’re the only voices I could fall asleep too. The only charity I’d donate to, being extra life.

Like to look back and realize it’s all over now is fucking crazy. RT truly left an impact on me far greater than I was willing to accept when this news first arose.

Bye Cock Bite, although I felt let’s play died in 2019, I still want to acknowledge your presence these last 5 years because I couldn’t bring myself to appreciate it anymore.

Thank you and goodnight 🫡

[danni-nip-nip-nyan]

THE father-daughter duo who's not actually father-daughter ever

Stephanie's suit was so cool in that episode why did they never use it again???

Also some bbg material cuz I can't help myself

Me when sportacus:

The brainworms have taken over I fear

Progress vid :3

First drawing was a challenge thing, also here's the name I saved it as cuz I think it's funni

[eddsworldstuck]

i am once again jumping around in writing and wrote part of a chapter in act 3 while writing more of A1C1

and i am not okay

it was very cathartic tho

...i wrote it at 2 in the morning

on my phone

...do i need to mention again that this AU was revived to be a representation of my grief and help me process it, after playing both persona 3 portable and reload made me think about its core theme quite a bit?

anyway have this doodle from last month from my doodle psd cause it's cute and to offset the sadness (guidesprite duo cause they both merged with their guidesprite when ascending)

also the height difference is pretty accurate (heightcomparison.com)

[aqent8]

big artists started following/interacting with me on twitter and now my anxieties about posting art are back 💀

[thusspoketrish]

Hiya, I'm Trish! Below you'll find a list of my completed Drarry fics + a gist of the story + a handful of tags. All of my stories are postwar, EWE, and rated E or M. I will update this list as I complete more stories! Wooo!!!

MOST RECENT FIC:

The Art of Getting By | E | 149K Recovery fic set in a psychiatric hospital. Mental health Issues. Trauma/Traumatic Experiences. Heavy Angst. Harry and Draco admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Therapy. Fastburn. Co-dependency. Falling in love. Draco's + Harry's POV. Please read warnings. Dead Dove.

Summary: This is a story about love. Draco is on a desperate mission to escape the devastating voice controlling his life, taunting him about his past, and cursing his future. As he reaches his breaking point, he’s sent to a psychiatric hospital, rendered mute, and struggles to find meaning in moving forward. Harry, grappling with his own demons, has been spiralling out of control with an unchecked temper. Unable to escape the anger that has consumed him, he finds himself involuntarily committed, believing that there’s little hope in achieving the semblance of normalcy he craves post-war.

Their paths collide, and fate proves how beautiful and cruel it can be.

This Year's Love| E | 84K. A Drarry slowburn inspired by When Harry Met Sally! Humor. Light Angst. Draco in the Muggle world. Lovable Disaster!Harry. Enemies to Best Friends. Modern Dating. Layabout!Harry. Medical Student!Draco. Draco Dates Zaddies. Harry Is Living His Best Heaux Life. Sex (or no sex!) Positivity. Idiots In Love. So Much Pining. Harry's POV.

Everything That Happens Is From Now On | E | 42K. A sensitive story that explores the aftermath and recovery from a stranger SA. Established relationship. Secrets. Supportive/Loving Partner. RTS. Living Together. Body Positivity. Enthusiastic Consent. Hope. Draco's POV. Please read warnings.

Lemon Colour, Honey Glow | E | 67K. A love story that takes place over a series of unfortunate nights at the Leaky Cauldron. Enemies to Lovers. Falling in Love. Auror!Harry. Potion Master!Draco. Secret Relationship. Emotional Hurt/Comfort. Possessive Harry. Flangst. Beer Gardens. The Leaky Cauldron. The Slytherin Trio. Bullying/Violence. Spoilers Left Untagged.

Super Rich Kids | E | 81K. True crime meets wild government conspiracies when Draco becomes a twisted sort-of Robin Hood, robbing the badly behaving rich to give to...well...you'll have to read the story to find out! Angst. Murders. Coverups. Enemies to Friends to Lovers. Bisexual Draco. Lush descriptions of glamour. Humor. The ULTIMATE Slytherin ensemble. Mental Health Issues. Drug Usage/Addiction. Pureblood Elitism. Social Season. Angst with a Happy Ending. Draco's POV.

On The Last Day | E | 53K. Draco's role as an Unspeakable, Harry's untimely death and ghostly return, and conspiracies bind them in a quest for truth and redemption. Mystery. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Grief/Mourning. Horror Elements. Science. Neurology/Neuroscience. Slowburn. Memory Loss. Draco's POV.

My Best Friend, the Serial Killer | E | 37K. Ride or Die BFFL Draco finds he's tired of moonlighting as a serial killer's accomplice. No matter how much he loves Pansy, he draws the line at helping her dispose of a sexy, flirty Harry Potter. Dark Humor. Campy/Kitsch Elements. Serial Killer!Pansy. Healer!Draco. Femme Fatale Trope. Falling in Love. Self-Love. Jealousy. Everyone is seriously morally grey. Draco's POV.

A Ferret, a ScarHead, a Weasel, & a Baby | E | 91K. The ultimate bromance takes centre stage (alongside a sweet and tender Drarry romance) in this Three Men & a Baby inspired story! BAMF Auror Draco. Protective Draco. Healer Harry. Capable and Emotionally Intelligent Ron. Illegal Potions Ring. Orphaned Baby. Roommates. Nothing to Something to Everything. Draco's POV.

Seven Days | E | 8K. It takes seven days for the Malfoy-Potter family to unravel. Grief/Mourning. Child Abduction. Death of a Child. Implied Mpreg. Alcohol Relapse. Coming to Terms. Harry's POV. Please Read the Warnings.

Portrait of a Young Girl | M | 8K. Navigating the complexities of love, marriage, and child-rearing, Harry and Draco face a new challenge when they suspect that four-year-old Teddy might be transgender. Married Drarry. Young Couple. Inexperienced Parents. Marital Problems/Disagreements. Stay-at-Home Dad Draco. Fluff. Acceptance. Love. Family. Happy Ending. Harry's POV.

A Day at the Park | M | 6K. Draco discovers that love has its own timing, and sometimes, that means returning to the place where he once lost it all. Estranged couple. Flashbacks. Pining. Postman's Park. Exiled Draco. Draco's POV.

Long for Bliss! | E | 9K. A random night out takes a dark and thrilling turn when Harry, after taking MDMA, encounters Draco Malfoy, looking like something straight out of his wildest dreams – or nightmares. First Time Drug Use. Nightclubs. The Perils of Ennui. Mildly Dubious Consent. Rooftop Sex. Light Dom/Sub Elements. Harry's POV.

Idiot Boys In Love & More | Various Ratings | 18K. Here you'll find a collection of one-shots, drabbles, and poems about Harry and Draco that are all standalone pieces! Each story is centered on a prompt provided by @drarrymicrofic and said prompt will be listed in the summary of each story (Series I completed). Harry + Draco's POV.

[contentloadingandstuff]

Fluff Headcanons - Spooky gaming with the genshin characters!

A/N: The fluff version of the Halloween special, and a bit of a new format. I hope you enjoy!

C/W: Modern AU, swearing, game-typical violence.

Alhaitham

This year, Alhaitham wanted something less conventional. Something that would really engage his mind with interesting commentary about society and the world at large, but still retain some of that spooky vibe. 

Cruelty Squad easily caught his attention with its assaulting graphics and interesting premise. It clearly begged for attention, and he was willing to humor it. 

It was precisely what he was looking for, and what an answer it was. Alhaitham had no trouble adjusting to a more corporate mindset.

Alhaitham: The super AI emerges from an extremely pornographic ultra hyper suck and fuck…

Kaveh: Um… What? What are you talking about?

Alhaitham: You don't understand, Kaveh. Everything that surrounds us? It's Gorbino's Quest. The Gorbino's Quest... of life.

Ganyu

The poor little cinnamon roll isn't that much of a horror fan. Violence and death generally unsettles her, but Ganyu still wants to feel some of that holiday spirit. 

After a lengthy deliberation, Ganyu chose Little Nightmares. The graphics are quite pleasing to the eye, it is horror, but not so horrible and violent. At least that's what she heard.

Ganyu: Oh, look! It's a Nome, right? And it's offering me food… How nice of it! Um… Oh n-no! Why would you d-do that?!

Amber

The great outdoors with a horror theme? Count her in!

Amber made sure to avoid spoilers to have the full, unprecedented The Forest experience. The landscape is so serene and peaceful… The freedom of movement, the sounds of nature and the survival elements are so fun and relaxing!

True, there are some hostile people on the island, but they seem harmless enough.

Until the night falls…

Amber: Wait… What's that? That doesn't look human… Did it just birth out… Ew… Yikes! It's coming at me! 

Suffice to say, Amber stuck around until more or less the moment when you have to chop up bodies and make effigies out of the parts.

Beidou

Alcohol, hard rock and murdering demons with big guns is how Beidou plays on Halloween, so she'll gladly hop on Doom Eternal.

There's nothing better than impaling a snake demon's head with its own broken arm, right as the beat drops. 

Beidou: Life has enough undefeatable horrors. Let's just have some fun tonight!

Ningguang

The old ones are the good ones! Ningguang doesn't play a lot of video games, but she did like a few titles back in her younger days. 

On this special occasion, Ningguang got a box of her old possessions to dig through, and found the original Dungeon Keeper on CD. 

Everything is just as she remembered it was. 

Ningguang: Oh, these imps… They are the perfect workers, aren't they? They don't eat, sleep, need vacation, have a social life, and they work harder when you slap them. Ah, if only I had them as my subordinates…

Keqing: *narrows eyes*

Kokomi

Another fan of the retro side of games, Kokomi enjoys a good tactical challenge - developing the ability to conjure small scale plans is as important as improving the grand ones.

Her pick is Myth II: Soulblighter. It’s a brutal, unforgiving RTS with a distinctively dark atmosphere - just perfect for the season at hand.

Even when Halloween comes to a close, Kokomi will find it hard to drop the game. The insanity that is Legendary is quite addictive indeed…

Kokomi: You here… You here… And now the crescendo!

Game: “Move here move there…”

Game: “Catch!”

Game: *explosion*

Game: “Casualty.”

Kokomi: Oh. Change of plans, I guess…

Yae Miko

Upon hearing of the wonderful possibilities for tormenting the other party, Miko didn't hesitate to bring out the Mora for Dead By Daylight and all of its DLC. 

Though it was quite fun at first, the ugly nature of the game soon surfaced. As none of her friends were brave enough to delve into this swamp, she was forced to join up with random people, who frequently threw the games. 

Such a combination was enough to make even such an ancient and wise kitsune lose her absolute cool.

Ei: Why are you crouching behind that tree, Miko?

Miko: The killer has caught one of my teammates, and I will release them by ambushing them with a flashlight! 

Miko: Come on… Now! You didn't expect that, did y- What?? Lightborn?! Again?! Who even plays it nowadays?! Oh, you daft, blind motherf-

Ei: Miko!

Miko: Oh… Hm. Sorry. I got a little carried away. But that's sooo unfair, isn't it? Why would they add a perk that cancels a whole mechanic? I can't believeitthegameissokillersided…

Xiangling

Xiangling absolutely didn't look forward to Halloween, especially with Hu Tao around. She just can't take horror, at all, of any kind, ever. Especially jumpscares.

She still couldn't believe that she agreed to play a horror game, let alone one suggested by the director. The one and only Five Nights At Freddy's at that.

Much to Hu Tao's amusement, she didn't even make it past Night 1. Xiangling was thoroughly spooked, and after being jumpscared once she completely refused to keep playing. 

Seeing Xiangling so terrified made Guoba very upset, and Hu Tao quickly apologized to avoid being roasted by the angry god. 

Hu Tao: So he killed the kids, but then! Their souls escaped their robot prisons and made an old spring lock suit crush him to death! WoOoo~

Xiangling: Ah! Hu Tao! No more! 

Guoba: Nane na! Grr…

Hu Tao: Oh, don't fret little Guoba! I'm just joking!

Zhongli

Morax always had trouble catching up with the latest cultural and technological trends of the humans. Sure, he can use a computer more than well enough, but he finds third and first person video games confusing. The gameplay is most often too fast and rapidly changing for him to be up to speed with it, let alone enjoy it. 

Throughout all of his exponentially long life, nobody was as persistent in including him in the festivities as Hu Tao. She tried to convince Zhongli to play something horror-related, but he was assertive. So, the director decided to find a game that would suit his liking - an indie title. 

Her pick fell on Water Womb World - it's simple mechanically, is quite disturbing and has an interesting concept. 

Much to her surprise, Zhongli thoroughly enjoyed his fifteen minutes with the game, even if he didn't find it very scary.

Zhongli: Ah, I agree with the message of this title. The blind belief in deities can lead to fanaticism, which breeds regress rather than progress. I do think that a more healthy and critical approach to Rex Lapis' rule would be beneficial to our current day society. Especially that the age of gods draws to an end…

Hu Tao: Aiya! Do you have to turn everything into a lecture, Zhongli? You're not my grandpa, are you?

Hu Tao

An avid enjoyer of the spookfest, Hu Tao decided to pick something hitting closer to home this year - Mortuary Assistant.

The gameplay loop feels great! Just like in her line of work, just without the smell. She's having the time of her life preparing the corpse for burial. And hunting the demon. That's also quite cool!

Hu Tao: *hums while wheeling the corpse into the crematory* 

Game: "Are you sure?"

Hu Tao: Yup! I know your tricks more than well. Aiyaya, you could try something more interesting next round! Furnace time~

Game: *sounds of fire and demonic screaming*

Hu Tao: Toodle-oo~

Bennet, Noelle, Fischl, Razor

A few weeks before Halloween, Bennett mentioned a game night, since he couldn't be there in person. Noelle, diligent as ever, picked this up as a cue to start looking for something. 

Luckily for her, Phasmophobia was on a large and affordable discount, so after proposing the idea and organizing a money pool, they all got to proving the existence of ghosts.

Lisa lent Razor her personal computer for the night, on condition that she could take a little peek every now and then at their session without interrupting - and what an amusement it was, as none of them are especially acquainted with horror.

Noelle: "The ghost responds only to people who are alone." Somebody has to go in to talk to it… 

Razor: Razor won't go! Ghost scary!

Bennett: I would go, but with my luck, the ghost will eat me right away…

Fischl: Hmph! Although yes, I, Fischl, The Prinzessin Der Verurteilung and the founder of The Immernatchreich possess the courage to face demons and spawns of darkness alike, I…

Everyone: So you'll go then?

Amy: Um… N-no! You m-misunderstood!

Furina

The Great-And-Grand Archon of Fontaine played and saw every horror game and movie, and never once got scared. Or that's what she claims, at least.

That's why Focalors decided to prove her excellence with a true, dark challenge she could easily overcome, thus proving her gaming capabilities for all to see!

In hindsight, Darkest Dungeon wasn't the best of choices she could have made… It did amuse Monsieur Neuvilette, however. 

Neuvillette: I think you should retreat. Your heroes are close to dying. 

Furina: I appreciate your advice, my dear Iudex, but your worries are misplaced! My Crusader will deal a critical hit, thus ending the pig-man's miserable opposition, and granting us treasure galore! Watch and marvel at my skill!

Game: "A singular strike!"

Furina: Ahaha, see? I told you it would be fine~ Wait… It's not dead yet…?

Game: "Mortality - clarified in a single strike!"

Furina: Um…

Game: "There can be no hope in this hell, no hope at all…"

Game: "And now the true test - hold fast, or expire."

Game: "Those who cover injury find it in no short supply."

Game: "As life ebbs, terrible vistas of emptiness reveal themselves."

Furina: Ret- T-tactical withdrawal! 

Game: "Cornered, trapped, forced to fight on!"

Game: "This is no place for the weak, or the foolhardy."

Game: "More blood soaks the soil, feeding the evil therein."

Game: "Perched at the very precipice of oblivion."

Game: "More dust, more ashes, more disappointment."

Game: "Another life wasted in the pursuit of glory and gold."

Game: "Wounds to be tended. Lessons to be learned."

Neuvillette: Lady Furina, if only you had-

Furina: Silence.

Shenhe

Shenhe never gets scared. The most terrible of monsters or existential terrors are no match for her training and resolve, no matter how unexpected they might be. She might not get scared, but she can get startled, right?

Who else would pose that question but Hu Tao, the mistress of horrors herself? It was always her objective to get some sort of reaction out of the adepti disciple, no matter how insignificant and small it might be. Many things were attempted - scary movies, troubling situations, body horror, cosmic horror, existential horror… But none of them ever worked. Shenhe remained stalwart.

Out of desperation, Hu Tao was forced to reach for the ultimate weapon. The bane of those unprepared. The myth. The legend. The game.

The Scary Maze Game. 

After plugging in an old spare monitor, she invited Shenhe to “test her precision”, and stepped a few safe meters back. 

The monitor ended up skewered with her polearm, but Shenhe did yelp - much to her delight. 

Not all was fun and games though, as Hu Tao got the mother of all lectures from Cloud Retainer. Something about Shenhe’s red ropes breaking, but the director didn’t pay much attention, and just nodded along.

Hu Tao: Heya, Shenhe… You don’t mind the little scare I gave you back on Halloween night, do you…?

Shenhe: Oh? Well, as much as I was upset during the moment, I must admit it was quite… cathartic. I never experienced anything like that. I do not hold any grudge towards you. Actually… Thank you for that, director Hu Tao.

Hu Tao: Phew! And I was here thinking I’ll share the fate of that display!

🎃Happy Halloween!🎃

[glossysoap]

if you get this, answer with three random facts about yourself and send it to the last seven blogs in your notifs (if you want to🖤)! anon or not, doesn't matter, let's get to know the person behind the blog✨

~🌹

ROSEEEE POOKIE <3333

- i’ve been writing for cod since the beginning of 2023

- around 2019-21 ish i had a hit tweet with the caption “when you hear someone say they’ve been trying for a baby and its just announcing they’ve been creampied 😕” with a reaction video of a guy going “EW” 😭 before i deleted my old twt that tweet had like at least 100k likes and rts

- before i deleted my old twt john cena was following me back 😭 (yes i have proof)

thank you for the ask rose MWAH <3

[themagnificentmags]

Since I finished Rogue Trader yesterday I'm just gonna jot down some notes on my RT Eltura's character arc with Heinrix because it actually ended up playing out very nicely. Under the cut for spoilers.

Eltura was kind of an ass to him at first, both because he was throwing his authority around and because she was repeating the usual imperial disdain for psykers/mutants. So we got the snippy, "I hope you can control your power better now" / "ew psyker" dialogue options.

She started to warm up to him throughout act 2 (especially the crashed black ship -- oof, what a good way to dig into backstory) but generally kept to the friendly options, with the exception of making out at the Magnae Ascenscio. #worthit

After having a VERY STRESSFUL time of it all through act 3 (a noble/officer/master tactician and Yrliet without drukhari weapon proficiency was a very scary place to be), hot off of having to talk Cassia down from melting her brain, she found Heinrix and approached him as another psyker bomb to disarm... and instead he immediately recognized her and asked for help. The palm kiss!!!!

(Side note, is he using biomancy to identify the RT here? Nifty if so)

Their chat afterwards in the Pit was incredibly good. I love me some sad boys and my god did it deliver -- I didn't expect his backstory to be THAT fucked up. I have a drawing in my mind's eye: the two of them curled up on one of the shitty cots in the back of the Pit, Eltura using her coat as a blanket to get a bit of sleep before they go for the final push in the arena and Heinrix with a warp-haze around one hand finishing up fixing his organs. Maybe now that I've written it down I'll draw it.

(Then of course they went back to yelling as he chewed Eltura out for keeping Yrliet around. Some things never change.)

Then we get the full circle at the end of act 4: when Heinrix had his full-on psychic breakdown, Eltura willingly waded into the ice despite the freaky psyker shit and brought him back.

On Epitaph, when Calcazar tried to tell Heinrix to kill her, she just stood back with the smuggest smile on her face.

Having him as her Master of Whispers afterwards was also *chef's kiss*. 10/10 epilogue.

Bonus: screenshots from my liveblogging to a friend

[act 2]

[end of act 2, when Heinrix pulls you aside to warn you about Calcazar]

[act 3 begins]

[act 2 / act 4, fucking around and finding out with macharius]

[act 4, after killing Uralon]

[act 4, frozen chess table]

[act 4, pasqal's quest]

[act 5, dying inquisition agent on Epitaph]

[bonus bonus: act 1, psyker RT, when the parade gets ambushed. this one's not Eltura -- it's the heretic 2nd playthrough I started while waiting for patches, because I like this game a normal amount]

[luzxii]

OMORICK AU REFS PART 2!!!! PLUS MORE I NFO ON THE REALWORLD GANG AS I HAV ENT REALLY TOUCHED ON THEM AS MUC H

- With the "three days left counter", it instead refers to the exact anniversary of Patty's pa ssing, the day after Halloween. Rick does not plan on moving. Instead of a sleepover, Streb er invites the gang to join him at the haunted house.

- The majority of the gang was not as deeply affected by Patty's death as the Omogang was of Mari's, they were not nearly as close with her and it was more the aftermath that caused change.

- Radford and Kevin changed the least out of the gang, except Radford now works at a DV D and videogame store rather then the theat re.

- Hanna was less affected by Patty (though she was of course sad about it and extremly worried for Rick) but was much more heavily affected by Rick's out of the blue breakup with her. Rick soon finds out after reuniting with the gang that she had already found a n ew partner. Rick taking that... not very well.

- Hanna hasn't at all moved on from Rick, ha ving forced herself to get a new partner in at tempts to stop how hurt the sudden departu re made her,she still doesn't have the same c onnection with her new girlfriend and is truly still in love with Rick deep down. Though Ric k saw this as her already having forgotten ab out him, not knowing the real context. Plus t he breakup was very impulsive on Rick's part and not something he wanted or thought thr ough in the slightest.

- Streber was affected the most by the event besides Rick. He deals with things differently then Basil. His personality is around the sam e, except theres a tense aura around him. His optimistic and carefree nature having disipat ed. The pressure of having to hide an act of manslaughter drove him to cope through his inventions, spending days alone in his house creating. He became less social and more clo sed off, not wanting to risk anything slipping out.

- Hanna still treats Rick with love and affecti on, she missed him dearly.

- Some of Radford's actions mirror Kel's role in some regard, though only to the extent of being the one to knock on Rick's door. He st ill sees Rick as a good pal even after years a part.

- Kevin, Rads and Rick used to be a trio of so rts, Kevin hadn't changed much at all since R ick isolated but seems to have a bit of anger towards him for ditching them for such a lon g time, though is interally more concerned t hen anything.

part 1 of the refs right here check em out!!

[jokerx-art]

snow day on loaas, a little ews doodle i did a few months ago. sharing as a lil nice treat for everyone

i mean it's always snowy there but whatever

[bsky]

~

close up on the 4 in the bg

[rumplefuckingstiltzkin]

I spent most of today thinking about how best to train my Pokémon. If that's what I'm going to be, I mean. A Trainer. I think each Pokémon-- moreover, each individual Pokémon, requires a tailored approach.

I worry that Embers isn't able to find the enrichment he needs to be the best he can be stuck here between Violet and New Bark. But! I was able to find a single Ralts in the field willing to battle us. Ralts are normally very shy. I wonder if it was something about Embers that brought it out of hiding... We are going to have to travel far and wide across the land to be all that we can be, but it's a challenge I look forward to for Embers. For now, we're focusing on Ratatta and wild Pidgey.

With Trunks, who has different talents and different needs, I bet the Geodude from his home habitat would be ideal. But before we work our way up to those, we've been focusing on local Sentret and Spinarak on Rt.30.

I think my training style is really reaching these guys, even if we don't have anything flashy to show for it yet, like a Gym Badge.

And one more thing! A kid at the Center in Cherrygrove was asking around; might anyone have a Poliwag to trade for his Mareep? No one was helping him out, so I went and caught him one. They really are bursting with hidden potential, those Poliwag, but they're invasive to the local area, so I don't think anyone minds that I caught him a wild one. He traded me our newest member of the team, a bright young ewe named Eepy. Something tells me Eepy will have a part to play in my adventures to come. There's something special about this one, I know it!

Closing the book on day 3.

- Kris

[the-path-to-redemption]

Chapter 2 rant will be out later, but I just...God, fucking queer rep in RWBY is a living nightmare and I just have to throw some thoughts out as a queer person.

You have a Nazi lesbian (Coco) who admits to check out women without their acknowledgement behind her sunglasses (ew tf). Another lesbian who's a terrorist (Ilia) and her main motivation was jealousy? Despite being part of an oppressed group? A singular catty gay man (Scarlet), and while that isn't necessarily bad, fucking hell it's still very annoying that he's the only gay person and is just written as an asshole. Background lesbians Saffron and Terra, not bad but again, bare minimum. A trans woman whose VA was treated like dirt. And 3 nonbinary characters, two of which are talking animals.

Like, how many characters does RWBY has? And this is it? This is the line up for queer rep that got you all foaming at the mouth for? This is below minimum effort, and it took them YEARS to actually confirm any of them as queer. RT was an independent company, they're not The Owl House or Legend of Korra where queer rep is constantly being squandered by higher ups, they just didn't want to.

And Blake and Yang...fucking hell. Preface, I have no problem with the Butch-Femme relationship between wlw characters. That's real life, I've seen plenty of gay couples where they didn't have a problem addressing themselves according to heterosexual labels (i.e. a gay man calling himself the wife). It still doesn't erase the fact that they're gay, and it's part of the identity.

What I fucking hate, HATE, is that neither Blake or Yang were written as the masculine queer woman initially. Both of them are femme, or were femme, but ever since the baiting begin Yang has been designated as the "man" of the relationship. This just felt extremely weird, since now you have Blake barely taking care of herself in dire situations and Yang standing up to her. Not very "we protect each other" like they claimed in Vol 6. Queer representation should not take away the characters' already established traits for them to be queer, that's lazy writing that reduces them to being nothing more than their sexuality.

All of this felt hollow; the queer characters are stereotypes or just assholes, and aside from their sexuality there's little to no substance to them. If you want substance, you have to spend time and money looking at supplementary works instead of those substances being written in the show.

What was Scarlet's life like? His relationship with Sage and Neptune, or his complicated thoughts about Sun? What about Saffron? What does she think about the rest of her family? Of the Arc family name like Jaune did? Speaking of Jaune, it's so easy to just let him be gender nonconforming back in Vol 2. But no, he must be masculine because God forbid a man wears a dress without transphobic jokes being made at his expense.

TLDR: RWBY's queer rep is boring at best, abysmal at worse. The characters felt hollow, and the effort that went into making them queer is nonexistent. And personally speaking? If South Park managed to support gay rep in the 90s, an independent company that created a show decades later have no excuse of not trying to say "this character is gay" from the get go.

[whitleyschn33]

RWBY V9 E08 Liveblog

I’m early again and already spoiled by the thumbnail, thanks a lot Crunchyroll (using the free trial until my usual sites fix themselves.)

- Another vague content warning, content warning are only useful if they warn about the actual content, RT. (It’s suicide/sucidial actions AGAIN just say suicide for fuck’s sake)

- Little, when have you ever actually guided the girls anywhere?

- I like that Ruby is breaking, but I wish the tone wasn’t quite so... grumbly? Like, the tone of voice sounds more petulant than upset, if that makes sense.

- Well... I do hope Little does actually knows the way back to the village, otherwise Ruby just left them there to die acres away from their home.

- ...What is this transition? It’s so abrupt, Ruby just arrives at the house. No shots of her reaction to her surroundings, no real look at what this acre looks like, no reaction to the house “appearing” (I say that as if it wasn’t just there, like the camera didn’t just cut to it without any establishing shot). This moment just feels so rushed, why?

- Is that the Roman Holiday cover art? And I’m assuming the little girl is Neo, so is her hair and eyes not natural, or did she unlock her semblance incredibly young?

- Hi Roman, by the way

- And all that hesitation Ruby was showing about using her weapon before? Gone. Could just be instinct overriding the trauma, it’s different being spooked into a fight vs rushing into one, but whatever.

- Can Neo just make her illusions speak now? Why?

- Even dead, Roman steals the show. Man, I’ve missed him.

- Very generic “hey, maybe Ruby’s cracking under stress” talk

- She... apparently didn’t walk that far.

- Is this entire house made by Neo? The chandelier shattering seems to suggest that, but the house stays later in the episode implying that it’s not.

- And like... has Neo been around enough to know about all of this? About Pyrrha, Ozpin, Clover, Ironwood? This is an incredibly cathartic scene (and once again I wish we could have gotten to all of this earlier), I’m very much enjoy Penny’s and Ironwood’s lines, but I’m confused on just how Neo is doing it.

- ....Dead Oscar illusion is kinda sick, nice job animators, but this poor boy can’t catch a break even when not actually here.

- Hey, they remembered Qrow existed! 

- Good kitty with laser beams.

- ...Not good kitty. Darn it, Robbie Daymond. And “my maker”, is this how we’re going to tie this back to the main Remnant plot, because his maker can’t be Alyx or Lewis (I’m settling on this spelling because I finally got it through my dense skull that it’s a reference to Lewis Carroll, which makes me wonder if it was actually Lewis that made it out and Alyx that never came back, as the twist), so maybe it’s Ozma or the God of Light?

- Nice effort, Little - I do enjoy when they actually try to help in whatever ways they can, like with the doll at the auction.

-...So, will Little ascend, or because Neo killed them, are they dead dead?

-These reactions are so incredibly flat. If you’re going to do this, go all out with the team’s reactions, don’t just have them gasp and stare. They’d be doing so well with the facial expressions on Ruby, why cheap out here?

-Ew. Also, he’s alway gone in through the heart, why the mouth now?

-Oh yeah, wasn’t one of the theories of Neo’s fairy tale illusion the Cheshire Cat? Well, that’s confirmed now in horrific fashion.

Once again, I am asking why couldn’t we have cut out the fluff and gotten to this point sooner? It makes no sense that Neo is suddenly strong enough to do this, but at least it’s interesting and furthering Ruby’s character and arc along, and with only two episodes left and so much to deal with, this finale is going to feel rushed as all get out, I’m afraid.