#am i biased? yes. am i right that he has these features? also yes.

[mishy-mashy]

Bruce is actually really attractive, and I have enough reasoning to make a list

He's:

Tall (. Tall enough to hit his head on the vault doorframe)

Long-legged

Has a straight nose bridge

Has high cheekbones (more noticeable in 2nd pic below)

Has a strong jawline

Sharp eyes, but they aren't small (plus eyebags if you're into that)

Overall, he has strong, attractive facial features

Has broad, refined shoulders. You can tell he works out (or he did, when he was alive)

Even has a thick, muscly neck

He has MUSCLE. Is SCULPTED. NOICE. VERY NOICE. (nice arms. Nice shoulders. Nice neck. Nice legs. Nice butt-)

(There are actually panels where you can see some of his muscles. Other than those already shown here, he's got bricky thighs-

-and in the panels where we first get his name dropped, he's got those shoulder blades too-)

The one time we see him smile, and he actually has a scary one

Has small, kinda sharp pupils, and his eyes remind me of a cat. We only ever saw him tense or defensive, so his resting/listening face is really cute

Other than the physical appearance stuff, he also:

Takes shit without batting an eye (patience, knowing it's just how Kudo is, etc)

Kudo being all "Cut the crap Bruce and give it to me straight", after Bruce tests his blood and is rightfully Concerned because they just faced AFO

Put up with Kudo's experimenting and testing over Yoichi's transferable Factor

Did ya'll see the look on Kudo's face when he realized he had Yoichi's Factor/will? Kudo was going to start in nonsense and Bruce just dealt with that.

Also something I noticed when looking back at the images here; Bruce has bandages on his arms in the void. But not when he faced AFO in the sewers.

Were he and Kudo cutting their arms open in their experimenting over Yoichi's theory? Is this why Kudo has two gauntlets instead of his one? Why we never see his bare arms in the void? That he always keeps his arms down so there's no slip?

Is smart enough to run blood tests, plus has enough common sense to pick Shinomori as his successor

He picked a guy who avoids society, has an Ability to detect danger so he can always stay away from AFO, is also a coward so he's never going to go throw himself into danger, even without knowing instinctively he stands no chance, etc.

Meanwhile, Kudo chose Bruce, who he played Hot Potato Yoichi with; but he did also trust Bruce, and put the only pure combative Ability in OFA through Bruce.

These two made their choices based on what they valued and saw the Factor needed.

Is logical, analytical, and calm.

He tried advising Midoriya on their Abilities in One For All, especially his own.

Midoriya then tried ignoring him about using Fa Jin for the first time, but found he was right, thinking: "Dammit!! I had [Lady Nagant] right where I wanted her, but... ugh! The Third was right. My parallel Quirk processes are all screwed up!" (ch. 314).

Plus, when Midoriya fixed his processing mistakes, Bruce was analyzing the way he reached his new conclusion. Pure facts, no bias, very calm, just saying it as it was.

We never see him panic. When he's caught by surprise in the sewers by AFO, Kudo, and Yoichi's little bubble event, he immediately reacts. He doesn't falter, he just knows he has to do something right now.

Was more willing to listen than Kudo to Yoichi's beckon, and probably was just following Kudo's rejection of Midoriya

While we don't see Kudo's face, we see Bruce's eyes when Yoichi calls on his heroes. Bruce was more open and receptive, or at least more impacted.

Bruce was also the one to start talking, while Kudo just kept quiet.

He actually communicates a lot

When Yoichi called them to support Midoriya, Bruce started talking to paint a picture of why they thought the way they did, so Yoichi understood where they were coming from.

(Though he seems to beat about the bush sometimes, since Kudo spoke up to be direct on how they couldn't just put their trust in some starry-eyed teenager. Plus, when Kudo tells him to just tell him what's wrong [double Factors])

When Midoriya first used Fa Jin against Nagant, Bruce came out just to tell him he knew what he was trying, but that Midoriya wasn't ready; and Midoriya found he was right. Midoriya just didn't want to listen to him then.

He asks Kudo for clarification after finding Kudo had two Factors in him after the sewer incident ("Just to be sure, All For One didn't touch you, right?") Kudo knew him well enough to go "stop beating around the bush and tell me", so Bruce was probably gonna start with questions, theories, and trying to understand everything in general, before saying "yeah you have two Factors. Don't know why".

Is strong-willed and loyal.

He followed Kudo, even to death, carrying on the cause he started until it ended with him.

Plus, when talking about how AFO needs a strong will to override OFA's own, we first see Bruce, Kudo, and Yoichi.

AFO couldn't steal OFA because the will was too strong for him, and that was back during Banjo's time. Since Shinomori never actually tried opposing AFO and just hid, we can assume the first Three (Yoichi, Kudo, Bruce) already had an accumulation of strong willpower that made OFA un-stealable. Those three are a strong enough foundation, and the main wills, that the other users just become bonuses.

Kudo, also saying that Midoriya needs allies with the same will and drive as him... hey Kudo, you're talking about yourself and your old allies, aren't you? That's why you look at Yoichi and Bruce when you say this.

Not only is Bruce attractive, but he's got good character. THE END.

[lilislegacy]

an analysis: piper calling percy unimpressive

(warning: i wrote this at 1 am)

so basically

remember how we all despised piper mclean when she had the audacity to call our beloved percy “unimpressive” and we all lost our shit on the inside a little bit?

i truly don’t think she meant it in the way we think she did. i think we’re all just defensive of our boy.

piper clearly states that she is comparing percy to jason. first of all, jason is her boyfriend, so of course she’s biased. second of all, hera was manipulating piper to be obsessed with jason. so other guys and girls are automatically unimpressive to her.

and here’s the big thing: piper does not call him unattractive. she does not call him ugly. she simply says he’s not her type. piper is clearly attracted to the “good boy” look. jason is literally your all-american boy. he’s tall with light skin, a sturdy build, neat blonde hair, and blue eyes. part of why annabeth doesn’t trust him is because she is unsettled by his “perfect” appearance. jason is also obedient and well-mannered. he’s your standard good boy.

and the fact of the matter is: percy looks like a “bad boy”. and often, he acts like one too. him and jason are contrasts of each other. a symbolic representation of this: their features. percy has a darker complexion, messy black hair, unique green eyes, and a “sarcastic troublemaker smile.” he’s muscular, but in a leaner and more trim way. he’s tall, but he’s not a towering muscleman by any means. not that jason is either, but don’t forget, percy is a whole one. inch. (GASP) shorter than jason (which to me isn’t even noticeable, so her pointing it out as a flaw just proves that she’s so incredibly biased towards jason.) their other big contrasting feature: their personalities. jason is respectful and well-mannered. very obedient and under control. percy, however, makes jokes during inappropriate moments, talks back to people of power and authority, gets angry quickly, and loses control easily. i mean, literally right after she says this, percy starts insulting the roman god Bacchus and rapidly escalates a situation because of his natural instinct to be disobedient. piper is horrified by him doing this, especially because jason would never. does it make US all love percy very much? yes. but piper isn’t us.

THAT SAID, even she can’t actually call him unattractive. she even went as far to state that she can see why annabeth likes him, which means even her magically-obsessed-with-jason brain can still recognize his attractiveness and see why girls find him appealing. she calls him “cute in a scruffy way,” meaning she thinks that he’s got a disheveled attractiveness to him. she also once said that his pleading eyes are like a cute baby seal’s - even she can’t deny that his eyes are wonderful. so even though piper calls him unimpressive, i think rick put in a lot of clues here showing us that she acknowledges him as a conventionally attractive person, even if she’s not personally attracted to him.

let’s sum it up, shall we?

what does it say about percy? absolutely nothing. piper calling percy unimpressive is an inaccurate and unreliable source when it comes to analyzing percy’s physical appearance, especially if you don’t consider the context. this was rick’s way of showing piper’s clear preference towards jason, just like annabeth has a clear preference towards percy. and even though she said this, rick also made her give us several hints that percy is handsome, just not in a way she’s inclined towards. rick wanted love triangles to be completely out of the question with these 4. he wanted to make it very clear that annabeth had no interest in jason, and that piper had no interest in percy. so since piper is so drawn towards jason, percy had to be very different from him in her eyes.

jason is your a superman, percy is your batman

jason is your captain america, percy is your iron man. some even say spider man.

so put yourself in piper’s shoes: after hearing percy jackson’s name non-stop for 6 months, hearing him compared to jason, hearing of all his accomplishments and how heroic he is - i mean, the guy was literally honored on olympus and offered godhood - she was expecting a stereotypical good-boy hero. a hercules. a superman. your standard muscular blinding-white-teeth-smile hunk. the conventional, well-mannered good boy. and instead she got a wild and untamed, trouble-making bad boy. percy has an edge to him. he’s intimidating and unpredictable. he’s sarcastic and witty. he just looks like he’s up to no good. she wasn’t expecting any of that. that’s not what we’re taught a hero is supposed to be like or look like.

jason is appealing in a “he’d be a respectable and sturdy husband” way.

percy is appealing in a “he’s gonna fuck up my life but i so badly want him to” kind of way. (even though once you get to know him, you see he’s literally the world’s best boyfriend. piper even gets jealous of how loving he is towards annabeth.)

she had this exact idea of what he would be, and he wasn’t that. hence her calling him “unimpressive.” but it says nothing about his attractiveness.

i rest my case, your honor.

thank you for coming to my ted talk

disclaimer: i am not saying percy is actually a bad boy or a bad guy. he is a sweetheart. he has the biggest heart ever. he’s a cute little cinnamon roll. i am simply talking of first impressions from outsiders, and how he appears if you don’t know him.

[controversial-blorbo-bracket]

Controversial Character Tournament Round 2: Light Yagami from Death Note vs Edelgard von Hresvelg from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

(remember that these characters are fictional and your fellow tumblr users are real. please be normal in the notes, i will not hesitate to block if you harass people)

Propaganda under the cut, may contain spoilers:

Light Yagami:

LOVE: - "He does some messed up things but have you considered: fucked up protagonists rock :)" HATE: - "this man makes me sick. ive genuinely had manic episodes over hating him. i have trauma from his existence in general. not even because of the murder. because hes a sexist cheater :(" - "My cousin and I frequently debate this. I think despite his 'intentions' he's ultimately a despicable character who cares for nobody but himself. She disagrees and says that he is just trying to do the right thing and making a difference in the world (she still thinks his actions are wrong, but she doesn't think he himself is despicable)" BOTH: - "I mean cmon man"

Edelgard Von Hresvelg:

LOVE: "People either claim she's the hero or the irredeemable villain with no in between. She's also my lovely wife who has never done anything wrong in her life." "I never even finished her route and remember nothing of what happens in that game but I DO remember the absolute warzone the fandom turned into because of her. She staged a coup and overthrew the head of the government/church and I think that's pretty cool of her. "But she committed war crimes!" God forbid women do anything." "I lied in the previous question. I don't hate her or love her in fact I have never even played this game. But I keep finding people making up Discourse™ featuring wild accusations of bigotry towards both Edelgard fans and Edelgard haters so I feel that she belongs here. (Also my friend hates her. but HER friend loves Edelgard. So even in my small social circle there is a clear polarization.)" "ok I don't have any solid propaganda because my opinion of her is more positive-neutral, but. she fits the spirit of this poll. trust me." "[three houses spoilers] Yes she started a war but it was the only apparent way to break the chokehold the church had over everyone in Fodlan. Also she’s the only lord you can gay marry so I’m hopelessly biased" "every time i go into the tag its either "edelgard is perfect no notes!!" or "edelgard is literally a fascist!!!". ive never seen someone with a neutral opinion of her. i yearn for battle." "I know very little about her to be quite honest! But good god. As a fire emblem fan for the GBA and engage. I have NEVER seen such a decisive character like Edelgard. Jesus Christ. I still find stuff in those tags. What the hell!!!" "I don’t even go to Fire Emblem but even I know that Edelgard has never done anything wrong, ever, in her entire life, and that if she did any war crimes they were a SUPER effective use of girl power. source: I am a lesbian. (realtalk I genuinely love a noble-minded extremist revolutionary and think Edelgard is a great character, so it’s kind of a shame that opinion on her seems to simply split down the line of “whether the person wants to kiss Edelgard or Dimitri more.”)"

HATE: "So on the one hand, she's fully willing to kill and burn and murder her way to a "better future" at the expense of the present, but on the other hand she's pretty cool and #girlboss. She's also a canon gay romance option, but idk if that makes her more or less problematic." "I just. I understand why people like her. I really do. And I don't have anything new to say for why I dislike her. Edelgard fans and stans have heard everything. She has great points and motivation, but her methods are wrong. She hitches her ideals to the first good opportunity and never reconsiders her allegiance when things go off the rails. She hates the church for "lying to people" and proceeds to lie to her own populace herself in her own route. She gives Claude an opportunity to live because she knows he believes in her goals. But Dimitri and his Kingdom are too beholden to the church to ever be offered such mercy. She herself acknowledges that the change she wants to see is more quickly enacted through war than subtle and slow societal change. She recognizes the human toll of her actions, but she justifies it through flowery language and an insistence that the change needs to happen now or it never will. I honestly find her so interesting, and I agree with a lot of her thoughts about the need for societal change in the world of FE:3H. But people latched onto her and propped her up as someone who can do no wrong. And that just never sat right with me. I just think she’s a hypocrite who got put in front of a shiny means to her end and was immediately blind to every other opportunity around her." BOTH: - "I dont even play fire emblem but I cant escape people not shutting up about how much they love or hate her" - "You said there were no hate answers for her...and I don't really hate her so it wouldn't be right but I wanted to balance things out some. She's the perfect storm of a character who sounds right and progressive and has a route all to herself that doesn't contradict that...but once you play other routes, it becomes clear she's kind of. full of misinformation. And attacking people who don't deserve it. Also a LOT of the divisiveness I'm willing to blame on the writers rather than her, for having her both be Evil Tyrant we NEED to take down and Sad Uwu Baby who just wants to eat cake and laze around and loves You the Player SO MUCH."

[batfoonery]

I’m sad tonight so have a stupid little headcannon of mine about how I think Damian grows up

Firstly, he cannot grow up this is Illegal that’s my spunky little guy!

But if he must (and I suppose he must)

Personally I don’t agree with DC’s tendency to make him Big n Bulky like Bruce.

Assuming Talia really did handpick certain traits, she probably would have leaned towards traits better for being an assassin. Like a more slender frame. Probably not as slender as Tim. If we chart it with Bruce n Jay being the Bulkiest and Tim being the most slim (but still very strong!) and Dick as the midpoint (aerodynamic but wider chest + shoulders) then I’d put him between Jay and Dick, but certainly a bit closer to the latter than the former.

I also am of the opinion that he’s the second most springy (flexible) after Dick.

So, I know with ballerinas the reason they have to start young is bc they have to start forming the flexible pathways (I’m not wording that right but the actual term eludes me rn) bc when you reach adolescence your joints start hardening into their final full adult spots and pathways. I’m assuming that the same applies to gymnasts.

Damian would’ve been a prime age for this development of sproingy joints. Tim and Jay were already teens, so although they have the ability to be damned good acrobats, they can’t develop the same range of motion that D & d have.

And yes, this would require developing the motions. But Damian likely already had learned techniques that required a particular level of flexibility in the LoA, and then when Dick was Batman (and in charge of training) I think he would have leaned towards more acrobatic skills. Both bc it’s useful and bc he needed a way to wear the kid out so he’d stop trying to escape and maybe take a nap for once. Getting bouncy kids (well. Not bouncy, but certainly Energized) to settle down by wearing them out by tricking them into doing cross wheels across the lawn is a classic older-sibling-stuck-babysitting tactic.

Overall this means his muscle tone would probably build in a way similar to Dick as well. Not totally the same! Part of our ability to build muscle is genetic—some of us are better at putting it in certain places than others

So where Dick’s generalized shape is like an upside-down triangle (or, if the artist is choosing to be particularly annoying about the poor guy’s rear then an unfortunate wasp figure—please that poor man’s back…. Shapely but reasonable is that really too much to ask for?) I think Damian’s thighs will be Thick like Bruce’s, making him somewhat of an hourglass (ass not as defined as Dick’s though) although the narrowest part of his waist will still only be slightly curved in (so not as severe as the description ‘hourglass’ typically invokes).

Height? No clue. Smaller than Bruce but not by much I’m guessing. Tall but not too tall and somewhat slender would probably help with assassin-ing in Talia’s eyes.

Although personally I think it would be really funny if he was second smallest (Tim reigning shorty supreme of course).

Features? No clue! Honestly kids can inherit so many potential features, who knows! I like when artists give him darker skin and Talia’s nose. But I’m biased bc I wish my skin was darker (I’m half Mexican half white and wow the pale is Blinding so unfortunately I am aware just how pale mixed children can be) and Talia is like. The hottest person in DC for me. I also like the green eyes bc it makes sense for him to have been exposed to the Lazarus pit, although I’m open to them having been a different color at birth for Angst purposes.

I just think there’s so many recessive traits that could pop up as he gets older. Or maybe he starts out being Bruce’s mini-me and then magically shifts into Talia’s boy. But I like the thought of him having something unexpected like one singular dimple on his left cheek—inherited from Martha and the Kane lineage but skipped Bruce (however Kate has the same dimple). Or maybe the droop of his eyelids recalls memories of Talia’s mother (not that Ra’s ever shared this info other than maybe once in passing when he first saw the baby).

That’s it that’s all! Agree, don’t agree, I don’t really mind either way. I just think it’s fun to think about sometimes.

[mtdthoughts]

Dali's Left-Handedness (Migi & Dali Thought)

If you pay close attention, you'll likely notice that Dali is left-handed.

In fact, he has been left-handed since the very beginning.

As the title suggests, this post will be about this fact and possible symbolism. Do note that spoilers throughout the story are mentioned.

Another important detail is that when Dali is front of people other than his brother, he'll pretend to be right-handed, which is best shown in the way he eats.

Yes, even when he panicked when Akiyama was about to check the closet, he still delivered a slap with his right hand to keep up the act.

It's also worth noting that Dali is the only left-handed character in the entire story, possibly emphasizing Dali's distinctiveness as a character. Personally, I'd go further and say that he's the real main character, though I am biased...

While I'm sure that Dali may have been acting right-handed (possibly out of discomfort) to be considerate to Migi, I think there's greater meaning to this.

For example, his left-handedness could symbolize:

Individuality and uniqueness as mentioned earlier.

Concealment and psychological depth, which makes sense since Dali often conceals his actions and feelings (even from Migi) and is (in my opinion) the hardest character to read.

Nonconformity, as he and Migi are both considered outsiders in Origon Village due to their (obvious) foreign features and being from an orphanage. However, Migi is more able to "go with the flow", and Dali is likely much more self-conscious about his differences compared to others.

A logical, strategic, calculating, scientific, and "left-brained" way of thinking.

A struggle for acceptance, as left-handedness was historically stigmatized or seen as a sign of inferiority, and in Western cultures was even associated with evil or with the devil. Perhaps this shows that deep down, Dali wanted to be accepted and yearned for belonging (though he might not have realized this himself), which makes sense considering that the twins created "Hitori" in order to fit in. Hiding his left-handedness could also show his insecurities and perhaps self-loathing, which could have been caused by his dark and tragic past, his heavy responsibility of looking after his brother and serving as a good example for him, persecution from other children, and later his own actions that hurt Migi.

It wasn't until Episode 10 when Dali stopped pretending to be right-handed, and once he finally decided to join the Sonoyamas in Episode 13, he began eating with his left hand.

Indeed, once Dali was confident that Akiyama and Maruta would accept him, he placed his trust in them, and the revealing of his true self is symbolized through the display of his real voice, his real personality, and of course his left-handedness.

Finally, his decision to switch to his dominant hand after pretending to be right-handed in front of the Sonoyamas for so long could show how he was finally able to not only find acceptance and belonging but was able to accept himself as well after overcoming his insecurities. He no longer felt that he needed to force himself to fit in, because regardless of his differences with other people, he knew that he would always be loved and accepted by his family, his friends, and most importantly his brother.

[pinkanonwrites]

(part 2. now featuring me rambling about a Modern Triguns hc i have)

okay so im Native American and i do think, in my hc (not yours. wanna reiterate that i am saying this for Fun Conversation and not to convince you of shit), i really like the idea of Vash and Knives being either surrounded by Indigenous American influence (people who are non-Indigenous can live on our reservations, maybe Rem is Indigenous and is cross-racially fostering them, i dunno) or Vash and Knives are white-passing Indigenous Americans themselves (i say "white-passing" bc i know their creator is Japanese but also Vash and Knives are pale-skinned, blue-eyed, blond boys so im assuming they are white? but some Japanese people could be mixed, that's true. i dont know enough about Trigun to know ethnicity canon/fanon, i just know "ah!!! they might be blond and blue-eyed, but i see Me in them!" so. headcanon. anyway)

and i say that bc a huge part of a pan-Indigenous culture (not that we are a monolith to generalize, theres so many fucking tribes and specific tribal cultures, but you get what i mean) is focused on the enviroment and our interconnectedness to it, ontop of our history of being genocided against up until the last Indian Residential School closed down in 2007 and we had our right to practice our culture given to us in 1978 (so 1978 is actually when American achieved religious-freedom) and now we are facing various Indigenous protective laws being disbanded in the U.S.-- it's easy for any marginalized group, esp ethnicities, to see relatability in the Plants. like, the Americas were founded with the blood of Black and Indigenous people. but also many other cultures have faced similar experiences. so i do think its easy to project any marginalized culture that has suffered onto Plants. its just also cool to be like "yo, my culture is very much based on protecting and understanding the enviroment, and this fictional group is called PLANTS? hell yeah, easy projection" but like. we arent the only culture that does that. so i dont think Indigenous Americans are special any form of projecting ourselves with Plants/Trigun. i just also AM Indigenous American and also AM projecting. so. im biased

and i am, in fact, doubly biased bc my Indigenous American father was a BIG fan of westerns, something Knives loves. my dad loved them bc He Is Very Old (im talking "my dad was 60, close to 70 when i was born" old. my mother is his second wife and they met when she was 40. so i was "wow thats late to have a baby, but not SUPER dangerous") and, though things have gotten slightly better since he was my age but uh.. the reason why he liked old westerns so much was because that WAS the only place where he could see people like him on-screen. even tho they died half the time. and were often racist. highly recommend the documentary "Reel Injun" if you would like a summary on how Indigenous people have been depicted on film, it is very funny for a documentary lmao but anyway, yes, this does also mean my dad was a Twilight fan. he watches those movies all the time (even tho they are ALSO racist against us, but its still really funny to say my dad is a Twi-hard lmao). and my dad wasnt alone in being like that, a LOT of Indigenous people my age (mid-20s) grew up with old western movies and whatnot bc it was the only representation we had for a long time, even moreso for any generation older than us. i can still hear "John Wayne's Teeth Hey-a, Hey-Hey-a" a'la the 90s movie, Smoke Signals, being chanted in my mind lmao

so Knives' lil "bang, bang" and how much he loved old west content made me feel especially seen lmao so i like the idea of him and Vash either being raised in an Indigenous culture by Indigenous people or being Indigenous themselves and being raised by Indigenous people. it brings me joy ♡ especially the latter, bc, tho im not blond and blue-eyed, i am white-passing. people assume i am white until i "out" myself (im also queer, i label myself as Two-Spirited actually, so i am using the verbage "out" knowingly lmao). i grew up hating my pale skin and my monolingual tongue, because that meant i looked like a colonizer and spoke the colonizer's langauge (and i, unfortunately, dont have the kind of brain that absorbs second languages well. at all. damn you auditory processing disorder lmao rip). i wanted to look more like my Indigenous relatives, and less like my white mother who married into our culture. and i see Knives' hatred of Plants' oppressors, and with the modern au and my hc of Indigentity and my personal history of struggling with self-hatred, and i see reflections of myself in him

and like. Knives' desire to kill all humans isnt translatable in a contemporary context, really. i dunno what job i would want my hc of him to have. you could argue he would be on the side of the extremeists in protesting, But Equating A Genocidal Character To A Contemporary Protestor feels.. bad lmao thats an understatement. but like. yeah, i do hc my personal modern au Knives to be a Land Back protestor, and i think Vash would agree actually. but im biased bc i support that movement too lmao i think the fact that Knives is so untranslatable to a modern context in all his variety adds to the tragedy of the Trigun/Trimax/Trigun Stampede/what-have-you narrative. i think modern au Knives might be antagonistic and a nag (or i could empathize with seeing him as modern cult-leader, tho thats irrelevant to this conversation. just bc i can empathize with it, doesnt mean i would ever create content of it or have it as my hc. cults are serious stuff people shouldnt trivialize and i dont have any experience with them, but if people want to vent out their feelings about cults using a modern Knives au?? i can understand that, im using him to project and vent too afterall lmao) to his brother, maybe be estranged, but overall i think the rift between them would be easier to breach than in the canon

i just find modern au Knives to, at least have the capacity to be, more sympathetic than his canon counterparts in all their variancies. he's fun to stretch around and play with lol

anyway, thanks for making a space where i felt welcomed to talk about Trigun modern hcs with you. i cant wait to see what you make. and, again, this was NOT an endorsement for you to follow me at all in this hc, i completely get (1) people have their own hcs of what Knives and Vash's ethnicities may be in a contemporary world and (2) that other people's modern au stories might not even feature disclosing an ethnicity. i just loved your excitement and wanted to spend part 1 engaging with you with your possible hcs, and part 2 sharing mine. i hope i worded all of this in a way that makes sense. thank you again ♡

Ooh, I really love your hcs! I'm always a little hesitant to do any in-depth headcanoning about the intricacies of racial minorities because I'm a very white person myself (a quarter Korean technically, but a blue-eyed blondie nonetheless), so it's really cool to read in-depth and interesting takes from people who obviously have a better scope on the ins and outs than I would!

I agree that Knives's genocidal nature isn't really easy to translate to a modern era. He's a tough guy to nail down! In my head at least, he's more of a nihilistic environmentalist while Vash is an optimistic one. I see him working in a very white-coat, laboratory, scientific field when it comes to conservation, he just strikes me as a scientist type. Him and Vash don't always see eye to eye on everything, and oftentimes he thinks he has to protect Vash because his brother is far too forgiving to the world, no matter how cruel it's been to him. But Vash doesn't want to be coddled either, he's not naive. He's making a conscious effort every day to choose to see the good in the world around them, and for one reason or another Nai just can't wrap his head around that.

He still loves his westerns though, I'm definitely keeping that. Nai was glued to Vash's stream when he was playing through Red Dead Redemption 2, no matter how much he says he doesn't care for video games.

I really liked reading your headcanons too, so thanks for reaching out! If you ever end up wanting to write anything longform that takes place in your modern AU, be sure to link it to me!

[notebookmusical]

Hi! I hope you've had a good week and weekend. I am not as stressed as before like a few months ago and I think things are going to get better compared to the last month. It's mainly just been lonely I think cuz my sister hadn't been living with me. Omg that's fun..what shows are you going to see? It's so hard to choose lol. You'll have to let me know how they are.

Oh ya last year's Tony's I didn't watch either because I didn't have an antenna but I had one for this year. I still missed parts of the opening though and drank while watching. Oh no... that's an awful time to get it cuz it probably ruins the memory. I remember listening to the cast album of Pretty Woman before..maybe once but that's about it. What did you think of the show if you remember? It does not seem like a show you would want to go to based on some musicals you like lol but I hope it was okay. You can always share some more stories with me! :) I can't remember what else he's been in besides Company though.

Honestly the Cabaret performance was fine to me but you're right about it being polarizing and I'm not sure why. I honestly think that's just how the character of the Emcee is supposed to be. I really like Joel Greys and Alan Cummings versions but I like that he at least tried something a little different. I wonder how he interprets some other parts based on knowing the show. Oh I hope you are able to see The Notebook again on your trip. I heard about the Merrily proshot and am excited and think it's great. It will probably be better than the movie musical they're making at least. I don't know much about the musical but also don't know how to feel about it. I think they cast Paul Mescal and I'm not even sure he can sing lol but I don't remember too much about it. Except they are filming it over 20 years..which is something that could be cool or just off and not translate on screen so idk. What do you think about it? I can't really have an opinion cuz I'm not as familiar with the show and only know two songs I think. I don't know when I will watch the show but I would definitely wanna watch the proshot.

I am still listening to Broadway stuff for now so I am a little behind. I've listened to Outsiders, Hells Kitchen, Stereophonic and Suffs so far. I love Outsiders and Stereophonic. Stereophonic is just the kind of music I like and the Outsiders music fits the story pretty well. I am also biased because of the story haha, but idk if I would recommend it without knowing it. Like there was one part that they didn't have a song about and idk if I would've known about it without knowing it. So in that way it made me miss watching bootlegs! I wish I could watch a bootleg of this one specifically cuz it has a lot of cool effects, but I honestly don't know much about finding bootlegs anymore unless it's random. I mostly see full audio bootlegs with dialogue but eh. I think I saw a Lempicka video come up on my YouTube page so I might be able to watch it and then listen to the cast album which is what we used to do lol. Same with Hells Kitchen..I think I kinda was able to follow it but it' would be more fun to watch in my opinion..oh well. Suffs was one that I just let play and actually couldn't follow the story as much and was just paying attention to the music first so idk. I know a lot of people wanted it to win best musical over Outsiders but it didn't exactly impress me, but the plot is probably not for me either. I still have to listen to the Notebook, Water For Elephants, Illinoise, and yes, Gatsby..if only for Jeremy and Eva, so I'll let you know what I think. I've also listened to a few songs from Spring Awakening, and Sunday, and West Side Story this week. I realized how similar The Outsiders is to West Side Story mixed with like Newsies. I love the new url too haha.

I will definitely check out the updates. I always love your new recommendations. I definitely plan to listen to those albums maybe sometime this week. I have heard the song featuring Taylor and enjoyed it and they performed it live. I loved Taylor playing the mashup of the Lakes and I Hate It Here especially. I think she's just okay honestly..maybe because she's a nepo baby, but I did enjoy her last album. I heard a few of Charli's singles but it seems there's more production compared to her last album and idk what to think yet. I loved your album! What did you think of the albums? I hope you have an amazing week too and hope things are getting better in case they've been stressful or hard lately.

hi friend!!! happy july! i hope yours is off to a good start! do you have anything fun planned this month? i'm glad things are getting better or are a little more manageable!

i've currently only got tickets to see moulin rouge, but will be buying my stereophonic tickets soon hopefully! i think i'll go see the notebook if it's still open when i'm there (hopefully it is!) but am unsure if i want to also do a saturday matinee or if i'd rather just go see friends and go places! i just never have enough time in the city and i feel like there's not a whole lot on broadway that i want to see right now — if i wasn't going to see wicked on tour in november, i'd probably finally go see it on broadway! and same with back to the future; it's coming in december, i'm likely going to see it in december, i don't particularly mind waiting to see it. anddd the same with both six, and & juliet — they're both part of the upcoming season so i don't feel a huge desire to go see them!

i don't have an antenna either! i got a free showtime subscription i think? to watch it this year and in the past years i've just 🏴‍☠️d it haha. that was actually my second time seeing it! i saw it on broadway with the original cast in march 2019 — i think i liked the broadway cast more than the tour (the guy who played edward came across much older than vivian and they had very little chemistry and just felt very ... awkward and creepy haha) but i didn't love it by any means! just a fun night, which is fine!

ooh okay my favorite matt doyle story <333 he came to seattle to do an out of town tryout for a show called jasper in deadland (terrible show that i love love love dearly, saw it three times) and he was just the nicest, loveliest person at stagedoor (even though he was not having a good time here in seattle). just so so sweet. one of my friends loved the show and saw it 8 times and in jasper, his character has a little ... alter ego-y persona with a different voice and so i asked if he'd record a video in that voice saying happy birthday to her and he did and was sooo sweet about it. he was also in book of mormon and sweeney todd off-broadway for a hot minute!! and little shop! and he was in gossip girl haha.

i wonder if people would like cabaret more if they cast ... a stronger ... singer... ? it's really interesting to see how a lot of shows that do really well on the west end aren't necessarily received very well here and vice versa. like this production of cabaret is SO well-received there! and yes! they cast paul mescal, who can sing fine —here's a clip of him singing stars from les mis from back in the day! i think it's interesting they're filming over 20 years but also am worried about ... it taking 20 years? if that makes sense? like it's cool, sure, but ... will it work out? will everyone stay committed? will everyone still be available? just feels like a logistical nightmare... how is this being funded? etc.

i'm soooo excited to see stereophonic !!! ahhh !!!!! it's one of the main reasons i decided to take this trip (vs. going next season)! i'm happy to help you find bootlegs — just send me a message off anon/over dms hehe <333 i haven't listened to hells kitchen yet, but i want to soon! did you watch / do you watch the jimmys awards? i watched them the other day and was sooooo impressed by how talented everyone was! i am actually not a fan of suffs haha. my best friend loves it and keeps trying to get me to get into it but i ... do not want to! it's just not my thing! and thank you for the url compliment :") wait have you ever listened to spring awakening in full? i love it a lot but it's also quite heavy so please take care of yourself when listening!

i just watched spring awakening like two weeks ago in person and the production was .... not great !!!!!!! but i still love the show so dearly. i'm glad i went. even if that production was ... something. and yay!! i'm so glad you like my recommendations 🥺 i always love hearing yours as well and hearing from you! i really loved brat, and i do think the secret of us is growing on me but not my favorite gracie album! my favorite of hers is still minor, and then this is what it feels like and then good riddance!

hope you're doing well and staying safe my friend <3333 and staying cool!

[kpoptrashlord-007]

hello again! i hope you’re doing just fine this week! just continuing our small chat through asks 💙

i really can't choose between all of them, the first member who caught my attention was leeteuk and here i am, kyu biased lol maybe that's why. i love to see we all have more than 1 bias 😂

i loved 2ya2yao, i loved the whole concept! and for mango also was AMAZING. deserves better, i agree with you, has those mamacita/sfs vibes.

black suit the queen taking you back with them omg. i never had any kpop contact before i guess, i just discovered them on youtube, it just happened. so i didn't really know the reddit stuff and all of that. if you ask me though i think is like becoming trendy to hate on them, i know they're not perfect but other idols or celebs are not as innocent either. that whole situation is very funny for me 😭

a teuk and WOOKIE biased! his voice is heaven✨✨

yes, exactly my thoughts! i felt so spoiled and overwhelmed at the same time when i found out the amount of content they have, i loved it! i am so lazy to check new debuts or groups, i enjoy the music but i don't feel the same as i do with super junior. exo slaps too, i like some of their songs, and i like suho, but i can't distinguish their voces individually yet lol it took me some time with suju as well to do that 😭 following kpop groups is difficult haha

also i read a smut drabble of yours, THE TALENT YOU HAVE GOOD LORD! hoping to read more from you! 💙

Okay so this is from months ago and I'm so so sorry I took so long to reply 😭 but hello my dearest elf-bot! While I wasn't doing particularly fine the week you asked, this current week wasn't too bad :) I hope you've been doing well, too!

Wahhh you're so lucky!! I heard a few songs on Spotify and Pandora (you kpop kiddos of today's world should APPRECIATE how diverse the kpop library has become! Back in my day you just had to listen to the same songs over and over and be grateful you even got those!) and I really jammed to them but then reddit...

In the end they won me over anyway lmfao 😂

And so true!! No one is perfect but people really do expect these idols to just... be impossibly good? Everyone has flaws, everyone makes mistakes. There's a few idols / groups that are just freaking punching bags for netizens 😔

All of his songs are sooooo good but I'm obsessed with Zhoumi's Starry Night where he (Wookie) features. Just 🥺😭💕 perfect vocals, so emotional, thoughts and feelings pouring through me.

There's too many new groups debuting every week 😅 it's hard to keep up. I'm about 2 months behind on new releases le sigh. But... I always make time to listen to Key's and Kai's new songs every day aahjsjdkf

YES I LOVE EXO! I'm glad you liked our leader 🥺 Junmyeon is precious. I stayed up way too late just the other night watching EXO on the ladder (Idk if that's what is was called - I just saw EXO and watched it lmfao). It was on the telly, just playing on a random channel and next thing you know it was 2am ✌️😔

Oh, thank you. That's really nice of you to say! ♡ I hope one day I can write again. I'm not mentally strong enough to force myself to write right now. Such a drag.

Anyways... sorry again for taking so long! And I hope you've been well and continue to be well. Stay happy and healthy always, and sending love your way! 😗💕

[kayrockerqog]

[the chart wasn't agreeing with me, so list form it is!]

ABOUT YOU: HORROR MOVIES

---------------------------------------------- Favourite Film of All Time -> Candyman (1992)

how do I explain my love for this movie without going apeshit? is it my bias towards Tony Todd? the cultural significance? the MUSIC??

Best Script -> Ready or Not (2019)

I had trouble thinking about an answer for this one, but then I remembered just how many moments in this movie got me laughing, and it fit right into the slot.

Favourite Poster -> The Thing (1982) and The Descent (2005)

I AM A SUCKER FOR THE "BACKLIGHT HIGHLIGHTS A SHADOWY FIGURE IN THE FOREGROUND" POSTER FORMAT and the way they did it for The Descent with the ladies' bodies forming a skull is BALLER

"I'll Watch it Some Day" -> The Road (2009), Melancholia (2011) and Wolf Creek (2005)

Two of them are recommendations of depressing movies from the internet, both with apocalyptic theming, and then Wolf Creek is one I just haven't gotten to yet.

Big Personal Impact -> Silence of the Lambs (1991)

This was my first proper horror movie. I had watched it at a friend's house since she was obsessed with Hannibal Lecter, and honestly? she was so right.

Best 3+ Hour Film -> I haven't watched any :<

You Like, but Everyone Hates -> REC 3: Genesis (2012)

I had trouble with this one too, but then I remembered that the reviews section of IMDB existed, and just...god, I was so sad. I was so sad because I loved this movie despite breaking from the typical REC format. I'm very partial to Clara, idec

You Hate, but Everyone Likes -> IT (1 and 2)

I was just not as impressed with this duology as everyone else was! I'm also fragile to jumpscares and Pennywise is a bitch about it.

Underrated -> I...don't have an answer for this either-

Overrated -> Jaws (1975)

I am...not a creature feature person. I don't have much of an explanation for this one either,,

"Why do I like this?" -> The Jinrou Games series (Werewolf Game)

This is where my old "How to Beat" fixation comes in clutch. I actually went and watched those movies, and they're just,,, gah, killing games, my beloved. I'm a sucker for strategy and psychology being exploited in a horror game.

Great Soundtrack -> Candyman (1992)

Philip Glass supremacy. Helen's Theme has unintentionally become my own theme song.

That Cinematography!! -> Cabin in the Woods (2011)

I REFUSE TO IGNORE THE FACT THEY TRIED SO HARD TO DO EVERYTHING PRACTICALLY. Like, that's a batshit thing to try and do, and I admire it so much.

Bad Day Cure -> Freaky (2020), Mayhem (2017) and Ready or Not (2019)

Simple plots, fun casts, and I am a SUCKER for Samara Weaving.

Favourite Protagonist -> REC franchise, Aliens (1986) and Ready or Not (2019)

Angela, Ripley and Grace deserve to go out and get coffee together, I'm telling you. Out of the three, I'm incredibly biased towards Angela, but the other two are both also super good!

Honorable mentions are Mac (The Thing) and Erin (You're Next).

Favourite Trilogy/Franchise -> Child's Play, Saw and REC

Don't you make me choose between them, please, I'm begging you-

Biggest Letdown -> Child's Play 3 (1991) and Saw 3D (2010)

Child's Play 3 felt the most lifeless of the original trilogy, and Saw 3D pissed me off SO MUCH.

Biggest Surprise -> Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022)

Similar to how I felt about the reboot season of Total Drama, I was kinda worried about the portrayal of its characters. However, they were just the right level of obnoxiousness, and the dialogue was more fun than irritating.

"Not the best, but having fun!" -> Patient Seven (2016) and Funhouse (2019)

I felt robbed when I looked up the reviews for Patient Seven, I was super into that movie especially with the main psychiatrist character, he was HORRID. And Funhouse just felt like Big Brother but with Saw elements and that I fuck with a LOT.

Criminally Overlooked -> Revenge (2017)

Yes, I know the r*pe revenge sub-genre is super iffy, but if you're gonna watch any one movie under it, pick this one. Jennifer is a BEAST and it's stylized in a really cool way!

Depressing Movie -> Would You Rather (2012) and Train to Busan (2016)

I wanted to go with something other than the de-facto choice of The Mist (2007) or Requiem for a Dream (2000) since I haven't even seen the latter, and when I thought about it, I remembered just how HOLLOW I felt with the majority of Would You Rather, especially with the end. And in the case of Train to Busan, I am already partial to apocalypse movies, but there were a lot of emotional scenes in that movie that I feel inclined to consider it sad.

Favourite Active Director -> Jordan Peele

This is a kind of wild answer, considering I haven't mentioned any of his movies, but his directing style is super rad! I still need to watch Nope, but I enjoyed both Get Out and Us more than I probably should.

The secondary answer is James Wan and Tom Savini.

Favourite Animated Film -> Corpse Bride (2005) and 9 (2009)

I am SHOCKED that 9 isn't primarily a horror movie. Like, what the fuck, there's no fucking way it isn't primarily horror. That film is TERRIFYING, and it's literally apocalypse horror. Like, come on. Corpse Bride is also my Tim Burton movie of choice, yes, even over Coraline.

Not really my thing...BUT- -> Willy's Wonderland (2021), The Banana Splits Movie (2019) and FNAF (2023)

Mascot horror is not my sub-genre of choice, especially when in game form, it's more inclined to rely on jumpscares, but at the same time, there was a lot to enjoy about these movies, namely the atmospheres. Plus, I'm forever impressed by the actors and puppeteers behind the animatronics.

crucify me

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

These calls accompany Victor’s S2 CH 34 - 37 Karma, and feature S2 Victor and MC, but don’t contain any spoilers from the S2 storyline~

⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for contents that are yet to be released on the global server! ⌚

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

_

✧ [FIRST CALL] ✧

Victor: How are the plans for this new show coming along?

MC: My colleagues and I just had dinner with the person in charge of the TV Station last night. How come you didn’t tell me that the two of you had met before?

Victor: We only collaborated once, that’s all. So it can only be said to be an acquaintance.

MC: So that’s why! His description of you was very “Victor.”

Victor: Such as?

MC: He said how you didn’t use to talk much, that you rarely smiled, and you didn’t even pick up your chopsticks much while eating.

Victor: When you’re sitting at the same table with seven or eight people you aren’t that familiar with, it’s only natural that your appetite won’t be the same as usual.

MC: He also said that you reviewed red wine with him and recommended some wineries to him.

Victor: ...sounds like you two had a pleasant conversation last night?

MC: I can have a pleasant conversation with just about anyone if it’s topics related to you.

MC: However, I found that CEO Victor’s image on the outside hasn’t really changed much.

MC: In other people’s eyes, you are still the Iceberg CEO. Habitually silent and unsmiling.

Victor: What else should it be?

MC: The expert in everything from the auditorium to the kitchen. A person who can decisively and rigorously negotiate proposals with the shareholders, can ride horses, do fencing, and make custard tarts!

Victor: Ask yourself honestly. Who is the one to have a biased cognition of me?

MC: Perhaps it’s because CEO Victor’s image behind closed doors is too vastly different from outside, so it makes me a little surprised~

Victor: Your tone sounds very immeasurably complacent.

MC: Just a little bit of complacency, not very much.

MC: After all, CEO Victor has not yet personally stated how special I am to him...

Victor: An “Iceberg CEO” like me never does business at a loss.

Victor: To make it fair, if you want me to clarify that, you can start by trading your answers first.

MC: Let’s see–– notes dedicated exclusively to you, special ringtone, your phone number pinned to the top.

MC: Oh yes, I can also cite many of the CEO’s quotes on the LFG employee handbook~ Is CEO Victor satisfied with this answer?

Victor: Try reciting a quote from the CEO, then.

MC: ...

Victor: Goldman might even be able to recite them all proficiently. It seems that the degree of how special I am to you is pretty finite.

MC: How can you compare me with... humph, I definitely know more than Goldman when it comes to your little daily habits!

Victor: Your fighting spirit comes through in some strange aspects.

Victor: There’s no need to compare you with others. When you’ve fulfilled all the declarations you’ve just boasted, I will make you “very” immeasurably complacent.

Victor: How’s that for a done deal?

–

–

✧ [SECOND CALL] ✧

Timestamp – 1:56

–

Victor: I saw the photos of the delicacies you sent me. It seems like you are having quite a nourishing business trip this time.

Victor: But if memory serves me right, the local time should be past twelve now.

Victor: Awake at this hour. Are you planning on staying up late again?

MC: I’ve been to so many places today, and I’m a little too excited to get to sleep. So, I just wanted to share it with you.

MC: Aside from the pictures of the delicious feast I sent you, do you remember the Sacré-Cœur Basilica we visited?

MC: This time, I took Kiki and the girls there too. In a manner of speaking, I can also be considered to be a qualified escort and docent.

Victor: So this time, you didn’t mistake Molière for Maupassant and confuse the works of Alexandre Dumas père and Alexandre Dumas?

MC: …why are you still unmasking my dark history? This time I remembered everything correctly!

MC: And not only that, but I also told them all the backstories about the church that you told me at that time––

MC: And then I received brimming gazes of admiration from the crowd~

Victor: I presume a certain someone must have been very proud of herself at the time?

MC: Hehe, thanks to the knowledgeable CEO Victor~

MC: Every time I travel with you, I find that it greatly enriches my first-hand knowledge and insight! I need to go out with you more often in the future~

Victor: It seems to me that the final sentence is your purpose.

Victor: I don’t know as much as you might think I do.

Victor: It’s simply that before each trip, I always briefly skim through some information about the destination.

MC: So that’s how it is~ It seems to me that CEO Victor takes it very seriously each time we go on a trip.

Victor: After all, I have a certain dummy by my side who is passionate about making travel plans and sprawls out over several pages every time.

Victor: It’s difficult not to be affected when one is surrounded by such an atmosphere.

MC: Pfftt, I didn’t expect that I’d manage to “turn you into an increasingly fierce competitor” one day!

MC: So that being the case, I wonder if CEO Victor can follow my example in pursuing the peak in eating, drinking, and being merry?

MC: For instance, the photo I sent you of the “Beef Bourguignon,” our mind was blown when we tasted it in the afternoon!

MC: I wonder if the Souvenir’s chef can let me revisit its delicious taste after I return home?

Victor: …I knew your purpose of sending the photos in the middle of the night was not pure.

Victor: It’s not a difficult dish to prepare. As long as I can get all the ingredients, I can give it a try.

MC: I knew it! You’re so amazing, you can definitely do it!

Victor: Save your flattery for the moment.

Victor: Isn’t your flight supposed to be at 2 pm tomorrow? It’s getting late, you should get some rest.

MC: But I still have a bellyful of things to tell you. I want to tell you all about the places we’ve been today…

Victor: This opportunity can be reserved for later.

Victor: The feast at Souvenir is not free.

Victor: It comes in exchange for the all the interesting stories you’ve experienced on this trip.

 –

[Anika’s Notes]: NAAAUUURRR PG!!! WHAT IS THIS!!! They went to Paris together in S2 too!! What do you want me to do with this info!! GIB US A DATE!!! 🥺😭

–

[beevean]

What annoys you about the Netflix version of Castlevania? 👀

Mostly the fact that it has become the face of the series. I pointed out already that on AO3, 2/3rds of Castlevania fics are based on the cartoon - at best, some fics aren't even tagged.

Tumblr is even worse. Search for "Castlevania" and notice how many posts are about the cartoon.

For more specific things... I may have become a fan of the series relatively recently, but to me the whole show feels like the showrunners really wanted to make a Berserk anime, and slapped on it the Castlevania aesthetic. And I'm a big Berserk fan! But not when you mix concepts this way. Just because both series deal with monsters and are set in the middle ages doesn't mean that they have quite the same vibe.

Then there is the questionable treatment of characters. Grant was adapted out of what was supposed to be a C3 adaptation because Ellis decided that his name was stupid and that his pirate-like appearance didn't fit the setting, even though Grant isn't a pirate, he's a thief. Trevor is pigeonholed in the character archetype of "drunkard asshole", even though he already had a fairly interesting personality in Curse of Darkness that could have been elaborated on, honorable but arrogant and hotheaded. Carmilla hasn't appeared much in the series, but the few times she did, she sure wasn't a radfem girlboss who dismissed Dracula as yet another "stupid old man". And boy help you if you like Hector, Isaac and/or St. Germain, because they bothered to bring them back, but the former is... well, I don't know what other term to use but he was pretty much ukeified, with how his main trait seems to be naiveté and how he gets imprisoned, beaten up and enslaved (did we really need to see his dick flap around as Lenore is beating the shit out of him? Now you're just humiliating him); and the other two have nothing in common with their game counterparts other than their names and somewhat their powers. You know why I reblog Isaac fanart from 10 years ago? Because now the tag is full of posts about the Netflix character (even "Isaac Laforeze", even though by logic it makes no sense that Netflix!Isaac would be called that way, Julia Laforeze doesn't exist in the cartoon), with some fans even saying things like "sometimes wildly deviating from the source material is the best idea" :') also, how can you even write Death as not being the biggest Dracula simp? C'mon.

(yes I'm particularly bitter about Isaac. I would have accepted if they just replaced him with an OC, and I'm sure that Netflix!Isaac is a great character too so I understand why he's so popular. Replacing the original version with an OC but keeping the same name is just sleazy, like you want credit for "fixing" the "bad" character but not putting any thought in salvaging what could be salvageable, it's lazy)

Another thing that I find sus is the overabundance of OCs. I'm biased because I watched in real time IDW Sonic shift focus from the canon characters to the new characters to the point that the cover of #50 didn't even feature the titular character, but it says something that big bad Dracula dies halfway through, and then the series is about a council of 4 new villains. And yes, I'm biased because of scenes like this:

Tell me if it doesn't look like the show really wants to show how #girlboss Carmilla is compared to dumb Dracula. He can't even command a room.

Then there are... dubious writing moments. The series makes the common mistake of thinking that swearwords are witty, to the point that even Alucard says "fuck you" to Trevor and shows him the middle finger (because haha he's becoming like trevor). St. Germain is just embarassing, going from a refined yet quirky 19th century dandy man to someone who says "I am immortal and glorious, and all these other people smell of piss" or "God is now standing right in front of you. And soon, very, very, soon... he's going to have sex again". And Death... oh, Death, what happened to you...

I'm also baffled when they try to apply logic to vampire lore? It feels like the writers felt too smart for their own good. I can't find it on YT but at one point the character just stop in their tracks to argue the validity of the conception that vampires can't cross running water, just because. And the explanation to why every vampire hates crosses is just ridiculous, sorry.

And then there's the offensive stuff. Hector sticks his dick in Lenore, she tricks him into becoming her sex slave/pet, and yet in the next season they basically develop feelings for each other? And she's painted in a tragic light? She's basically Dahlia Hawthorne with a dom fetish (which I'm not even opposed to, she seems to be an interesting villain at first) and I'm supposed to feel sorry for her? In the same episode there's a random threesome between Alucard and two people he welcomed into the castle, but it was all a ruse to try to kill him, and he's traumatized for... a few episodes? Then he gets better? Just enough to show him pissing on their corpses. Thanks.

(and I'm not even getting into the fact that Ellis himself has been accused of sexual misconduct, which makes these scenes even more uncomfortable)

So yeah. I don't personally resent Netflixvania, and I know that there are some good moments in it ("Lisa, I'm killing our boy..."), but from what I've seen so far, the series simply doesn't deserve to massively overshadow the game series - not even because of quality issues, but because at the end of the day it doesn't have much to do with the games beyond some superficial references.

[captnjacksparrow]

Hi there!

I'm sorry this isn't Narusasu related but I see that your blog name is Captnjacksparrow.

My ask is are you gonna watch future Pirates of Caribbean movies without Johnny Depp?

Johnny Depp is no longer allowed to be featured in any Disney film because of domestic violence charges from his ex wife Amber heard.

* They have videos of his ex abusing/hitting Johnny Depp unprovoked. Or him walking away/distancing himself and her charging to hit.

*They have audio recording of her saying if she hits him No one's gonna believe you.😳

* Then his ex has a history of domestic violence against her previous partners including a female partner. They filed against Amber for abusing them. But Depp previous ex say it's extremely out of character for him.

* After she reported..the officers inspected her injuries and didn't find any injuries but Depp was bleeding. But she had a pink black eyes??? (my really insensitive opinion is maybe it's blush because it looked really glowy and they didn't find damaged to her actually eye but maybe it is real . )

* there is photos of his bleeding and having black eyes after interacting with her which did get medically recorded. And his finger was disfigured.

They say he is toxic for enabling her to abusive him. Now i don't know anything for certain he could very well be a sudden abuser. But do you see yourself seeing future Pirates of Caribbean movies without Johnny Depp. I like your honest opinion even if it differs from mine. Thnx

(If you got this ask twice blame Tumblr..it said something about error idc)

What can I say about an incident that affected the real victims who got abused in real life and because of that horrible woman, In my state (a patriarchal one at that), #MeToo movement was passed off as a humorous joke???

Naturally, I always take a woman's side whenever this kind of Abuse cases pops off in the news or in my social circle from time to time. Because, where I come from, 99% of the times... A Woman will be the one who would've endured extreme physical and mental abuses in the Domestic Violent cases. For the reason being, right from their childhood, they were being raised up with the mindset that "Men will always be impulsive.. They get angry from time to time. It's we women who has to tolerate and adjust according to their moods"....

So, Basically my culture tells women to be slaves and whores. So, I don’t trust men in these cases... Not one bit. I know I am biased...

So... Yes... Naturally, I would take a Woman's side anytime.

And I did the same with Amber Heard as well. However, I couldn't believe Johnny Depp abused a woman considering he was never accused of such complaints previously from his Exes. He’s hit some paparazzi, trashed a few hotel rooms, had some drunken brawls… none of this is cancel-worthy... At the end of the day, I didn't or couldn't hate him, probably because I liked him as an Actor (If only he were a Random unknown Actor I would have cursed him to Hell).... but I got heavily disappointed in him. 

I also know for a fact that he had many exes... But none of them called out Depp as an abuser. And yet, I gave Amber, a Benefit of Doubt since I am a girl too. I didn't even bothered about that news of her dating Elon Musk immediately after filing her Divorce😑😑. I thought media was going overboard and concocting stories... Shit Paparazzi always tails celebrity like a Spy and breaches their privacy always and hence I thought Amber was being targeted for wrong reasons. Basically I was wiping tears for Amber....

But Boy!!!

What a Vile Monster (Read : B***h)!!! She totally shat on my face by pulling a Gone Girl (my favorite movie) on her victim Johnny Depp by cleverly framing him as an Abuser. She even severed his Finger. Shat in his bed. Fabricated evidence of rape, sexual and domestic abuse.

Anyway, His reputation was gone... He got sacked by Disney, now he was being Blacklisted by the Hollywood as a whole and his career was over. Well Done Amber!!!! Mind you all of these drama had happened during the #MeToo movement.

At the height of a movement that painted every man in the movie and entertainment industry as ‘potentially abusive’ and went on, endlessly, about how we should “believe all women”. This nasty Monster arrived at the scene with her explosive accusations at the perfect time. And the media absolutely crucified the man.

Anyways, My disappointment on Depp got revoked... But still... Whatever's done has been done. Now he filed a Defamation case on her and she is acting like a perfect UwU girl wearing specs in front of the Court.

However,

During that same time when #MeToo movement was at the peak in the West, Many closeted girls in my country slowly started to open up about their years and years of repressed Sexual Abuse they'd experienced in Public places, Domestic Abuse and Work Place were all coming out in social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. 

However, many men were skeptical about these complaints and it all comes down to, “Why now??? Why none of you girls never brought these up before??? Why now after all these years??”. The reason those women didn’t bring this up right away was because they were afraid that their left-over freedom would be snatched away.

Say, if a School going girl complains to her parents about A Boy abusing her sexually... You know what would happen next??? Her Parents will stop her from going to school any further. Same with women who goes to Work. Just to protect their Rights to gain knowledge and being financially independent... They would never open up about Sexual Harassment issues at all.

And finally, this Monster's false accusation got spread like a wild fire (Depp has so many fans here too) and majority of Twitter started to mock any woman who is complaining about a man under the name of #MeToo movement. Am not blaming this mishap entirely on Amber Heard... Since I already know that these men will never believe a single word from these girls... But that’s Monster's nasty act nipped that bud before it even started to sprout. And it gave those men more reasons to go unhinged. 

I wasn’t pissed just because she abused another Human.... I was pissed because she brought upon a chain of events which hurt more than 1 person who are not related with her Drama. Her abusive act never benefitted herself... Nor Depp, nor the women in General. 

So, back to your Question... If I would watch Pirates of the Caribbean movie without Depp??? 

Absolutely Not.... And why would I???

I loved that series precisely because of Depp. I admired him not only with his acting but also with this off-screen persona of visiting sick children in hospitals dressed as Jack Sparrow, never announcing his real identity or charging a dime. That’s why I couldn’t hate him even when I believed he was wrong.

Lesson I learned : Please lend your ears to the other side and come to a conclusion rather that canceling out people without even knowing the full picture. ***IRRESPECTIVE OF GENDER*** Women are capable of being Evil too.

[otaku6337]

On the Realities of BNHA’s Heroism, and Those Who Act Within It (A Look At Dadz- Aizawa)

I, admittedly, am somewhat biased because I love Aizawa Shouta, and I don’t want people to read this without knowing it. However, I would like to think myself a realist, and I have thought upon and written his character for over a year and over a million words, so I would like to think that I can see both his shortcomings and his brilliance.

He is a good teacher. A good man. Not always the kindest one, but a good one.

BNHA MANGA SPOILERS  (Chapter 340 included) (oh, and a note that this is by no means looking for discourse or controversy, nor is it a complete consideration of his character and actions - it’s a ramble I wanted to share after having read the most recent chapter released online, and thus focuses on Aizawa in relation to the direct elements related to that)

this chapter heavily featured Aizawa, and did so for the first time in a while - he’s been here, of course, and I’ve looked at every instance, but he was very prominent in this, and that gave me a lot to think about, and emphasised a lot of the thoughts I already had

He is intense. Scary, even. He has always had this start, right from his intro, and it makes sense.

See, this scene, to me, epitomises a lot of what too many people don't seem to understand about Aizawa, the Heroics Industry, and BNHA as a whole - he is an underground hero, and a man who has to teach children to be heroes, a glorified industry wherein many enter with stars in their eyes, expecting glory and money and adrenaline, to save people, but not truly understanding how they will have blood on their hands for the rest of their lives

Aizawa sees the worst of their society. A society that is very, very different to our own, not only because it's Japan rather than the Western world (speaking as someone who mostly interacts with those from the US and UK within this fandom’s sphere), but also because, as canonically-stated, the world changed a lot with the evolution of Quirks. Their standards for what is acceptable, what is dangerous or unusual, is incredibly different to ours. This fact, alone, explains a lot about many characters’ actions and attitudes, but I won’t go into that right now.

Aizawa - Eraserhead - knows he's sending these kids onto battlefields. He knows he's sending them to kill, to be killed, to lose the ones they love and even those they hate. To fail.

So yes, he can be harsh. He does it because he wants these kids to survive. He is intense, even scary, because he spends his nights dealing with the worst of society, and his days teaching people less than half his age, minors, how to do that themselves in the future. Of course, BNHA society is somewhat desensitised to this concept in a way that most of us, as consumers, aren’t, but there is undeniably still a massive weight upon him in this context.

Aizawa has nearly died for his class several times. He has nearly expelled them, at times, because they put themselves to what (in his knowledge) was completely unnecessary risk, and, though I won’t pretend to love that on a personal level, I do consider it fair. (Yes, I include Izuku’s QA Test in that - he was unaware, and ignorance does not excuse cruelty but I, personally, did not find him cruel - again, consider the different society that BNHA have to ourselves.)

He will go, no pun intended, above and beyond for his students, and I thoroughly believe that goes beyond the fact that he is employed to do so. There is a ferocity to the way he addresses their safety, a surety in his belief in them, and, in recent arcs but also as far back as the Final Exams, for example, a faith in their skills and heroism. He has taught them well, and he trusts that they are brilliant all in their own right. He does not discriminate, does not judge, only pushes and guides and nudges them to where they need to be to survive.

With this recent arc, no matter how much I dislike a very large proportion of it, between the senseless deaths and the traitor arc and more minor things that I generally don’t like (there are parts I do love, don’t get me wrong, and that is only my personal opinion regardless), you cannot deny that Aizawa wants the best for his students, Aoyama included. And Aoyama needs a push in the right direction. He needs help, needs someone to believe in him, needs to know that people are there for him. And I would find it hard to believe anyone could read the scenes in this chapter in any other way than Aizawa telling Aoyama to trust them all, to work alongside them.

So, yes, I genuinely believe him to be a good teacher.

Anyways!! Here are some of the softer Dadzawa moments from this chapter that I loved very much, if you got to the end of this  ^^;

and then this last one, guys, with that soft not-scowl (and whoops, my writer head came out when I wrote that, didn’t it?)

[dreamerstreamer]

Toxic Taste

Pairing: Dream / Clay x gn!reader

Summary: [Dream SMP!AU] It's a perfect day for a picnic with your friends. Well, it seems like one until you suddenly fall very ill.

Warnings: very minor cursing

Word Count: 4.5k

A/N: this was requested by @amintyworld​! everyone just loves protective dream, don’t they? i had fun exploring this concept, and i hope you enjoy!

You hummed, fixing your hair in the mirror before giving yourself one last once over, nodding to yourself. Looks good. Just then, you heard the door swing open behind you, creaking with a quiet groan. You didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“Hey, are you ready to go?”

Whirling around, your hand quickly grabbed the woven basket on the table beside you as you flashed Clay a bright grin, bounding over to his side with a skip in your step. “I am, now.”

Without having to say another word, he lifted his arm toward you, and you looped yours through his, your fingers tightening around the basket handle. The two of you stepped outside together, locking the door behind you before making your way down the oak path. Above you, only a few clouds dotted the cerulean blue sky, drifting along the gentle spring breeze.

It really was a perfect day for a picnic.

Turning, you cast a curious glance over at Clay. “Are you excited to see what everyone brought?”

He bobbed his head, his lips quirking up into a wicked grin. “Yeah—I can’t wait to make fun of whatever George made.”

You frowned, shooting him an unimpressed look. “George is a good chef in his own right,” you chided.

His smile widened, reaching over to gently tap your nose. “Yeah, but you’re the best.” He patted your basket cover, his viridian gaze swirling with mirth. “They’re gonna love your cookies.”

You rolled your eyes at him, snorting, but he didn’t miss the way your lips twitched. “You just say that because you’re my boyfriend.”

He hummed. “Just because I’m biased doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

You raised your brows at him. “Oh? So you admit that you’re biased?”

Leaning over, he brushed his lips against yours in a peck, pulling back with a dazzling grin. “Of course,” he murmured in that soft tone that made your cheeks grow hot, “without a doubt.”

You swallowed, trying to calm your frantically beating heart. “You’re so cheesy,” you said, adopting a passive tone, “no more dilly-dallying, now. We have a picnic to get to.”

He sent you a crooked smile. “Okay, okay.” His eyes flashed. “I’ll race you.”

“Huh, wh—?”

Before you could even process what was happening, he had suddenly bolted, his arm leaving yours. Almost immediately, your body yearned for the warmth of his pressed against yours, and you found yourself stumbling after him.

“Wait, Clay!” you called after him, your basket bouncing beside you as you watched him crest over the grassy hill. “That’s not fair! Get back here!”

He only turned to shoot you a goofy grin, laughter bubbling on his lips as he disappeared from view, his hoodie fading to nothing more than a tiny speck of green among the swaying blades of grass. You couldn’t stop the laughter from spilling from your lips, bursting from your chest like fireworks.

“You are so dead when I catch up to you!”

He called back over the horizon. “If you ever!”

Your grin only grew wider.

Oh, he was so dead.

“Your bread sucks.”

You gasped, lightly smacking Clay’s chest. “Clay!” Whipping around, you sent George an earnest grin. “George, I think your bread is wonderful.”

Beside you, Tommy made a face, setting his slice down on his plate with a disgusted glance. “Nah, I agree with Big D. This bread is pretty shit.”

Now, it was Wilbur’s turn to gasp. “Tommy!”

Tommy’s brows knit together as he scowled. “What? I’m just telling the truth.”

George let out a long groan, his glasses threatening to slide off the crown of his head as he hung his face in his hands. “I am never baking, again.”

In an instant, Niki was on her feet, flailing her arms. “No, no, no! Don’t say that—baking can be a lot of fun!” She paused for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “I can teach you a new sourdough recipe, if you’d like!”

George lifted his head, blinking at her with wide, hopeful eyes. “You would?”

She nodded, a bright smile tugging at her lips. “Of course!”

Sapnap snorted, taking another bite of steak. “I can’t believe you have to learn from someone else how to make good bread.”

George groaned again, glowering at his supposed best friend. “Why is everyone ganging up on me, today?”

Clay was quick to butt in. “Haven’t you heard? It’s National Be Mean to George Day.”

Tubbo blinked, confusion clouding his features. “That’s not a real holi—” He paused, then gasped. “Oh, wait.” He grinned. “Never mind.”

George’s glare only intensified, and he sighed. “Niki, forget it.”

While Niki practically shriveled into a puddle, Wilbur spoke up, offering him a reassuring smile. “Well, I think your bread is delicious, George. Genuinely.”

George flashed him a thankful grin, adjusting the glasses on his head. “Thank you, Wilbur.”

Letting out another laugh, you leaned back against Clay’s side, his arm firmly wrapped around your waist as you snuggled against him. Your friends were always up to weird antics, and while you didn’t necessarily agree with their actions, you were willing to indulge in them, if only to see what would happen next. In front of you, you gingerly picked up the half-eaten fish skewer from your plate, lifting it to your lips as you took another bite. It was sweet, and vaguely tasted like saltwater, but you liked it. It was unique, in its own weird way.

You watched as Clay reached across the patterned blanket for the plate of cookies you had brought, gingerly picking one up. Glancing up at him, you opened your mouth. “Do you actually think George’s bread is bad?” you asked softly. “Or are you just trying to rile him up?”

He paused, the cookie halfway to his mouth, then shrugged, biting in. “It’s a bit of both. It isn’t half-bad, I guess.” He shot you a cheeky wink. “Yours is still better, though.”

You groaned, feeling your face grow warm. “Stop that.”

He tilted his head at you, a cocky grin spreading across his face as he chewed. “Stop what?” he said, leaning in close to you. “Being honest?”

You did your best to send him a glare, but you knew it was half-hearted at best. “Yes.”

His grin widened, his eyes glimmering with affectionate arrogance. “Never.”

As his eyes locked onto yours, you felt your glare melt away. With a small hum, he dipped his head to yours, pressing his mouth to yours with a smile. His tongue lapped at your lips, and you grinned back. He tasted like chocolate chips and sunshine. You pulled back with a quiet gasp, your cheeks burned with heat as his emerald eyes bore into yours, crinkling at the corners.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he whispered for you and you alone.

Your heart swelled. “I love you, too.”

He stared at you for a moment longer, then pressed his forehead against yours, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Also,” he added, “you taste like fish.”

You sent him a horrified look before smacking his arm again, your heart flipping as he wheezed at your reaction. “S-Shut up!”

He only wheezed harder in response, and despite your embarrassment, you felt a smile tugging on your lips. That was the thing about Clay that got you every time—as much as he would tease you and make your heart go wild in your chest, you knew he meant every single thing he told you. He was just so sincere like that, and it made you want to sink straight into him.

God, you were so, so in love.

Just then, a howl pulled you away from your attack on Clay. You turned to see Quackity, his mouth agape as he pointed at Niki, a bewildered look plastered to her face. “Niki!” he screamed. “You brought cake?”

She blinked, stunned for only a moment before she smiled, nodding. “Yeah! It’s homemade and has vanilla frosting.”

Quackity immediately sank down to one knee, one hand outstretched toward her as he said dramatically, “Marry me.”

Niki’s smile didn’t falter for even a second. “No thanks.”

Quackity’s arm dropped, and he let out a whine. “Damn, you didn’t have to say it so quickly.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he sat down with a pout. “You could have at least pretended to think about it.”

You all burst into laughter, giggling as Niki simply set her cake down on the blanket next to George’s bread. Wilbur had brought three watermelons—how he carted them over by himself, you had no idea—while Tommy brought pork chops. Tubbo had also caught fish for the occasion while Sapnap packed steak. Meanwhile, Quackity had carried a sack of apples over to the picnic, but you had a feeling he may or may not have stolen them, since he didn’t exactly own an apple orchard of his own.

You opened your mouth to ask for a slice of Niki’s cake when you suddenly froze, a bolt of what felt like lightning tingling up your spine. Your head spun, and you could have sworn your vision darkened at the edges. An uneasy pit grew in your stomach, and you frowned. Why do I feel so... strange?

Pushing yourself forward slightly, you tried to sit up straight, only to feel your arms wobble before you crashed back into Clay’s side once more. In a flash, his arms were around you, holding you steady as his green eyes peered down at yours.

“Hey,” he said, his tone growing serious, “are you okay?” He wrinkled his brow. “You look a little off.”

You blinked, feeling your stomach churn with uneasiness. “I’m, um—I feel kind of sick.”

Without an ounce of hesitation, Clay was on his feet, stretching his arm out to you. “Here, let me help you up.”

You slipped your hand into his, doing your best to hang on tight as he tugged you upward. You expected to simply stand on your own two feet just as you would in any other situation, but the moment you were up, you suddenly felt your knees buckle beneath you, your legs going numb. You gasped as your feet went flying out under you, your fingers digging onto Clay’s palm.

“Clay—!”

With a whirl, his arms held you to his chest, your sides shaking. A rush of anxiety rolled through you, and you looked down, desperately trying to move your foot, only to find that you couldn’t. It remained as still as a rock, and you wanted to cry.

“[Y/N],” Clay breathed, his hand on your face as he supported your weight with his other arm, “what’s wrong?” His eyes desperately searched yours for any clue as to what was happening, but all you could manage was a broken, choked whisper.

“Clay, I—” You swallowed, your hands trembling around his arm while something stung at the back of your eyes. “I can’t move my legs.”

He froze, his voice dropping to a deadly low whisper. “You what?”

You shook your head, hanging onto him for dear life. The spinning had gotten worse now, and you felt sicker and sicker by the second. “I-I don’t know, I don’t feel good and something’s wrong and—Clay,” you breathed, tears welling up in your eyes, “I’m scared.” Your heart pounded in your chest, but for all the wrong reasons. “Am I going to die?”

His gaze hardened, filling with determination as his hold around you tightened. “No,” he said without even an inkling of doubt, “you’re not.”

Before you could react, he suddenly swung one arm beneath your numb legs, easily hoisting you up so that you were carefully pressed against his chest. You gasped as your friends’ eyes landed on you, their faces full of worry as your head lolled against Clay’s shoulder.

“Everyone,” he said, his voice booming across the field, “there’s something wrong with the food.” His eyes narrowed. “Don’t eat it.”

He turned his head, dipping his head toward George as he said, “George, I need you to get me as many regeneration potions and golden apples as you can, ASAP.”

George was on his feet as fast as he could, already turning on his heel. “I’m on it,” he shouted as he took off, already booking it down the hill.

Finally, Tubbo spoke up, asking the one question that had been on everyone’s mind. “Dream, what’s going on?”

Clay’s eyes darkened, and you could just barely feel his hands tighten around you while your vision swam.

“[Y/N]’s been poisoned.”

Wilbur gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth. “Oh my god.”

Sapnap whipped his head around, gazing at the once serene picnic blanket with sheer terror. “What the fu—”

Suddenly, your hand shot up to grip Clay’s collar, his eyes immediately darting to yours. You gasped, your head absolutely throbbing as your heart rammed against your rib cage all too quickly. You opened your mouth, your spit tasting like salt and ash.

“Clay, I—”

The words died in your mouth as the world went dark, enveloping you in cold darkness.

You awoke with a start, bolting upright as you gasped, the cool air flooding your aching lungs. Immediately, you felt your stomach churn in retaliation, and your skull practically screamed at you to lie back down again. Slamming a hand over your eye, you felt the spinning of your head slowly fade away. Disoriented and dizzy, the blurriness of your vision began to lift as you blinked, taking in the sight of the room around you.

You didn’t recognize the windowsill at your side or the mattress you were lying on. The closed door stared back at you as your gaze swept over it, almost as if it knew you were confused. Not even the sheets looked familiar.

Where... am I?

You swallowed, something sharp and uneasy prickling up your spine.

What happened?

Your eyelids fluttered shut, and you tried to recall the events that had led you up to this moment.

You remembered... cookies. And a picnic. Clay’s hand in yours. There was food, and laughter. Then suddenly, you were queasy. Sick. Something wasn’t right. Then... nothing.

You blanched. Did I pass out?

Just then, you heard the door click, the hinges swinging open with a creak. Your eyes flew open and your breath hitched in your throat, and you turned, your fingers curling tighter into the sheets. Your eyes went wide as Clay walked in, one hand on the handle and the other holding an apple. The moment his eyes met yours, he froze.

“Clay?” you whispered, your voice sounding hoarse.

The apple dropped to the ground.

In an instant, he was in front of you with his hands on your face, his thumbs brushing over your cheeks. His emerald eyes bore straight into yours with an intensity that sent your heart reeling. The words flew from his mouth in a flurry, his gaze never leaving yours.

“How are you feeling? Can you hear me? Is everything feeling alrig—”

“Woah, woah,” you said, waving your hand to cue him to stop, “what happened?”

His fingers trembled against your cheeks, and you could have sworn his eyes flashed with something wet. “[Y/N], oh, I’m—” He swallowed, his neck bobbing as he sent you a grateful smile. “I’m just so glad that you’re here.”

His hands pulled away from your face as he stood upright once more, heading for the open door. “Here, I’ll be back in a second.”

You raised your hand toward him, opening your mouth to say something, but he was already gone, having disappeared down the hall in a flash. Blinking, you sat stunned and even more confused than before, left only to wait and hope for an explanation once he returned.

Hardly even two minutes passed before you heard the rumbling of footsteps racing toward the open door. You squeaked when a series of faces filled the room, their cheeks red and chests heaving as they caught their breath. Clay immediately shuffled back to your side, slipping into the space on the bed next to you before grabbing your hand, squeezing.

“[Y/N]!” Niki cried, her eyes filled with panic. “Are you okay?”

Beside her, Tubbo’s hands shook at his side. “We only just heard from Dream that you were awake.”

You opened your mouth, then closed it, your mind still hazy with everything that had just happened. Struggling to come up with an answer, you found yourself blurting the first words that came to mind. “How long has it been?”

You saw George shoot Sapnap a look, shrugging his shoulders before glancing back at you. “Uh, like, half a day.”

You shot forward, gaping. “Half a day?!”

Tommy flashed you a bright grin, leaning against Tubbo’s shoulder with a teasing look. “Yeah, you should have seen Dream run around! He spoon fed you regeneration potions and probably even read three whole fuckin’ libraries’ worth of books on poison antidotes while you wer—”

A hand suddenly smacked into Tommy’s skull, and he yelped. Behind him,  Wilbur scowled. “Tommy!” he scolded. There was a soft giggle, then Wilbur whirled, his eyes narrowing. “And Quackity.” The giggles stopped. “Don’t think I didn’t see you laughing. This is serious.”

There was a slight pause. “Okay, but it is funn—”

“[Y/N],” Clay suddenly said, cutting Tommy off as his hand squeezed yours.

You blinked, trying to ignore how low his voice sounded right about now. “Y-Yeah?”

He cocked his head at you, gesturing to the sheets covering your lower half. “Can you move your legs?”

“Um...” Lifting an arm, you flung the sheets off of you, carefully shifting your leg back and forth. “Y-Yeah. I’m still feeling kind of funny, though.” You wrinkled your nose. “I’m not sure if I can stand, yet.”

He frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he ran a hand through his hair. “Damn. I had a feeling this would happen, but I still wished it wouldn’t.”

Quackity took a step forward, his hand outstretched toward you. “Here, [Y/N], try—”

A snarl ripped itself out of Clay’s throat, and his shout echoed off the walls. “Don’t touch them!”

A tense silence immediately fell over the room, and Quackity back-pedalled, pulling his hand back as if he had burned it on hot coal. You watched as a pang of guilt shot across Clay’s face before he sighed. “Sorry, I mean—” He shook his head, lowering his head. “Fuck.”

Sapnap sent him a small smile, sincere and reassuring. “Hey, man,” he said softly, “it’s alright. We get it. You’re stressed. I’d react the same way if I was in your position.”

Clay raised his chin a little, his lips quirking. “Thanks, Sap.”

Wilbur suddenly spoke up, his eyes trained on you. “Dream, I think we still have some questions we should ask.”

Clay blinked, then nodded. “Right, thanks, Wilbur.” Clearing his throat, he turned to face you head on.” Do you still remember the picnic?” When you nodded, he continued. “Did anything out of the ordinary happen?”

You paused, then shook your head. “Not that I can remember. I woke up, packed up a basket, walked over to the field with you, ate with everyone, then...” You gestured vaguely. “Well, y’know.”

His gaze hardened. “What did you eat?”

You thought for a moment. “Um, I ate an apple, and I had two slices of George’s bread.” You paused again, furrowing your brows. Then, your eyes lit up. “Oh, and I also ate some of the fish.”

Clay stared at you. “Fish?” he parroted.

You bobbed your head, humming. “Yeah. That’s about as much as I remember.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and you could practically see the gears turning in Clay’s head. “Did anyone else here eat the fish?” he finally said after a while.

Your friends cast curious looks at one another before George raised his hand, shaking his head. “No.” He jutted his head toward you. “[Y/N] was the first and only person to, I believe.”

Clay pursed his lips. “Tubbo.”

Tubbo jumped, looking panicked and shaky as he stammered out, “Y-Yes, Dream?”

Clay narrowed his eyes. “Who exactly brought the fish?”

Tubbo gulped. “Uh, it, um, ah—” He inhaled sharply at the look on Clay’s face, then sighed. “I did, Dream.”

For a moment, it was quiet. Then, Clay sighed, his thumb brushing over the back of your hand. “Oh, it all makes sense now.”

Now, it was Tommy’s turn to speak, his expression clouded with confusion. “How the fuck does that make this make any more sense than it did before?”

Clay suddenly slipped his hand out of yours, your palm meeting nothing as he rose to his full height. You felt the air grow cold.

“Tubbo,” he said slowly, casually—almost too casually. A crooked, charming smile spread across his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “What kind of fish was it?”

Tubbo lowered his gaze to the ground. “Pufferfish,” he said in a tiny whisper.

Tommy stared. “Oh.” Understanding flickered across his face before being replaced by horror. “Oh.”

Clay took a step forward, the grin never leaving his face. “Tubbo—”

Your hand shot forward, grabbing onto his wrist before he could take another step. His arm was tense underneath your touch, but he stopped the moment your skin met his. “Clay,” you said quickly, your words rushed and hurried, “stop, please.”

He turned, looking back at you over his shoulder. You shook your head at him. “I’m sure it was an accident. Tubbo would never poison anyone deliberately, let alone me.”

You heard a soft hiccup, then Tubbo spoke. “I-I wouldn’t, I swear it! I just... I thought cooking pufferfish would make them less toxic for other people.”

Niki raised her hand, her face pleading as her eyes darted back and forth between Dream and Tubbo. “I can vouch for him, and not just because we’re friends. He might have built up his own tolerance for pufferfish poison, but I don’t think he realized just how bad it could turn out to be.”

Tubbo nodded frantically, looking smaller than ever as he finally lifted his head. “Seriously, Dream, I would never do it intentionally, I promise.” He turned to look at you, his sides shaking as your gaze met his.

“I’m sorry, [Y/N],” he whispered, honesty and desperation soaking into every syllable he spoke, “I really am.”

Your face softened immediately, and you could only hope he knew how sincere you were being. “I forgive you, Tubbo.” Your eyes flit to the man in front of you. “Do you, Clay?”

You couldn’t see his expression from where you were sitting, but the look of terror on Tubbo’s face said it all. “Yes,” he said, “but only because you do.”

Your grip around his wrist tightened. “Clay, I’m positive. Please, just let it be.” You tugged a little, and he turned, watching as you kicked your legs at him with a small smile. “I’m all better now, see?”

The coldness in his gaze finally seemed to melt, and he shook his head at you, his lips twitching. “Fine.” Walking back over to you, you tucked your legs back against you as he sat on the bed, levelling a glare at the crowd gathered in front of you. “Now everyone, get out.”

There was a whistle. “Jeez, aggressive mu—”

“Tommy,” Wilbur said again, already tugging at the blond’s collar as he tread toward the hall, “an angry Dream is not someone you want to mess with.”

Tommy glowered as everyone filed out of the room, his voice fading away as they disappeared outside. “Ugh, you are such a killjo—”

Sapnap sent you a friendly smile as his hand wrapped around the door handle. “I hope you feel better soon, [Y/N].”

You returned his grin with a grateful look. “Thanks, Sapnap.”

With one last wave, he pulled the door shut, leaving you alone with Clay. Shifting forward slightly, you swung your legs off the bed, nudging him with your side. “Clay?” you murmured, your eyes searching his face. It was at times like this he was easier to read.

With a sigh, he hung his head in his hands, the vein in his neck bulging out. “God, I know he means well, but I still kind of want to wring Tubbo’s neck, right now.”

You leaned against him, pressing your cheek to his bicep. “Clay, don’t say that.”

He lifted his head, growling. “I know, I know! It’s just—”

He bit his lip, then sighed again, his arm reaching up to pull you onto his lap. Shifting you around so that you were facing him, his leaned his forehead against yours, his hot breath tickling your skin.

“You don’t know how scared I was,” he whispered, sincere and true. “I never want to lose you. Ever.”

Heat crawled up your neck, and your head spun, but not for the same reasons as before. “C-Clay.”

His hand stroked along your back. “It’s the truth, y’know? I’d never lie to you, and I mean every word.” Leaning upward, he pressed his lips to your forehead as he spoke, the words shaking against your skin. “You mean more to me than you may ever know.”

You hummed, your heart blossoming in your chest. “Even if that’s the case,” you said, “you don’t need to be so upset, anymore.” You felt his lips leave your forehead, and you peered up at him through your lashes. “I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

You leaned back in his arms, reaching up to brush your fingertips over his freckles. A soft smile tugged at your lips as you watched him melt a little at the gesture. “Now,” you said, quiet yet firm, “promise me you won’t be mad at Tubbo the next time you see him.”

He blinked. “W-What?”

You pursed your lips. “Clay.”

He chuckled. “Alright, alright. I promise.” A sly grin slipped onto his face. “But only if...”

You raised a brow at him. “Only if...?”

You half-wanted to smack the stupid grin off his stupidly perfect face. “Only if you give me a kiss.”

You giggled, slipping your arms over his shoulder and around his neck. He always knew how to make you laugh, even at serious times like this. Leaning forward, you pressed your lips to his in a sweet kiss. He still tasted like freshly squeezed lemonade, gleaming in the light of the sweet summer sun. You felt him smile against you, and you pulled away mirroring his expression.

“There,” you whispered, running your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Does that seal the deal?”

He hummed, tilting his head at you while mischief danced in his eyes. “Maybe you should do it again just to make sure.”

You rolled your eyes at him, but couldn’t stop the giddy smile from spreading across your face.

Your picnic may have been a disaster, but you wouldn’t mind ending your days wrapped in Clay’s arms more often.

[doctorofmagic]

I find it so sad and upsetting to see the Clea tag here on tumblr being SO full of people complaining about her and being upset that Stephen didn't end up with Christine... I just want to read some new people appreciating Clea now and her fans being happy, and yet I'm finding so much negativity 😔 I love Christine as well and I was so happy with what they did in MoM with her character and her relationship with Stephen, and yet palmerstrange fans are all so angry. These ship wars are so stupid, kill all my joy of being in fandom.

PS: Anon who sent me the Palmerstrange ask, I’m sorry but tumblr got dumb and deleted your post as I was editing this ask. But luckily enough I was able to answer your whole question before it got deleted. Sorry :/

Okay *sighs*

First of all, I'd like to say that I understand where both preferences come from, even though I've always been biased because of Cleaphen (even when it was just Victoria and Clea, I always rooted for Clea because I knew how deep Stephen loved her - and yes, Stephen is poly-coded in canon).

Anon 1: I was avoiding the tags but your message made me curious and since I lack self-caring, I checked it out and yikes, yeah... I understand where they come from and I respect their sadness for having their ship wrecked but uh...

It's okay, they may not accept Clea now but who knows? They can always change their minds, especially if they see that Stephen is happy (which is really a sign of love).

I mean, I've been there in other fandoms so I know how it feels, but it's not like I didn't appreciate the new possibilities cause, luckily, I'm able to multi-ship so all good.

But true, true. Ship wars are the stupidest bs in any fandom. Also if I was THAT obsessed with canon, I wouldn't have a fic with 14+ ships featuring Stephen lmao. It's not that serious. Besides, canon never stopped people before, me included 😭 90% of my ships are not canon, so what?

Anon 2: At this point, I'm just glad they introduced her instead of using Christine as a variant, ngl 😭 this concept of variants in the MCU just set everything on fire. It worked so well on comics but now, like, I'm not commenting on THAT. I refuse to do so. But okay, okay, at least she's here!! Also I really don't see that Stephen's story will end in DS3 when we're having a fourth Thor movie coming and it won't probably be the last? I strongly believe we'll have so much more of him, and consequently Clea.

Anon 3: Thank you for your kindness! Yes, yes, let's always support older women and their amazing work! I'm just glad to see more of this on screen. There's still a long road but the more vocal we’re about it, more often we’ll see them represented.

Anon 4 who asked about Palmerstrange: look... I really tend to avoid ship discourse on my blog because I know it hurts people's feelings so I'd rather not to, even though the opposite is not always true. Besides, I liked them in the What If? episode, although I agree that MCU!Stephen and Christine were portrayed in a way that their relationship wouldn't be rekindled. But that's just my interpretation. People ship for less. Crack ships exist. Who am I to judge people's preferences? (except pr0-sh1pping. That's definitely not my cup of tea.) In my opinion, when Christine kisses Stephen's cheek in the first movie, I knew they wouldn't end up together since I understood that moment as a gesture of platonic affection. And the fact that Stephen clings into her memory is because he needs love, and her memory is all he has left. But then again, that's MY interpretation. Doesn't mean I'm right.

What I'll criticize, though, is people coming for Clea and saying all kinds of nasty stuff when first loves are hardly endgame irl. It feels real to me. The point is, I agree with you, but it doesn't invalidate Palmerstrangers who felt compelled by their story on screen because it was their interpretation when consuming said content.

--

In any case, my point is, it's really hard for me to validate or invalidate people's preferences when it comes to shipping because, as I said, I'm able to ship Stephen with every character in the Marvel Universe, it works in my head regardless of canon. But that's just me. There are ships that I really dislike in the MCU and have strong opinions on them but you'll never hear about it 🥴 and this is why I avert my eyes to this kind of discourse.

(truly, this subject feels like walking on eggshells oooooof)

[sunandmoongobrrr]

Korra and her Brutalization: A Legend of Korra Meta

In honor of International Womens’ Day, I want to talk a little bit about Legend of Korra and the treatment of Korra (and to a small extent other women) throughout the show. Content warning: there's some disturbing scenes that I show here, but if you've watched all of LoK, you should be fine.

Korra starts off confident; she is a young avatar who is eager to learn and feels suffocated from the isolation she is kept in from a very young age. But that doesn’t stop her, and like the headstrong girl she is, she moves to Republic City to make a difference and step into her role as the avatar.

Korra immediately starts to doubt herself; she becomes unsure of her abilities and frustrated with herself, and through that she learns to become emotionally vulnerable with Tenzin. To me, this was really great. It showed that you can be confident and vulnerable, and that the two aren’t necessarily independent of each other.

(I’m going to be honest, the 2nd season I didn’t really remember much of, so I’m just going to skip over that. Because what I really want to talk about is season 3.)

In season three, Korra faces the Red Lotus, an “anarchist” group that essentially wants to kill her. And they get pretty close. First, I want to talk about how Tenzin is beaten by the Red Lotus. This has been brought up in Lily Orchard’s (in?)famous LOK video, and while I disagree with her on many many topics of the show, I really think she has a point here. When Tenzin is being brutalized by the Red Lotus, the camera pans away. It is SO painful to see him like this, and the directors know it. It’s TOO painful to see it, so they don’t show you it, and the episode ends before we can see him be defeated.

Contrast that with Korra. They show you every detail of this. And I mean every detail.

It’s disgusting, and they refuse to treat her with any sort of decency or respect like they do Tenzin. It’s almost like they want us to enjoy her torturing. It’s genuinely gross.

People will often refute this by saying “LoK is just a darker show! Look at what they did to the Earth Queen!” And while yes, it is marketed towards an older audience, there’s still no point in brutalizing Korra this way. The main difference between Korra and the Earth Queen is that… well, Korra’s the protagonist. We’re supposed to be rooting for her, and while the Earth Queen being suffocated was definitely dark, it wasn’t unprecedented. The audience was never supposed to like the Earth Queen—she exploited and kidnapped her own people, so of course we wouldn’t care THAT much if she died. But we’ve been with Korra since the beginning. We’re supposed to want her to be happy, and why on earth would we want her to be tortured brutally in such a disgusting way that gives her absolutely no dignity? If we want her to succeed?

(here Zaheer uses the same technique used on the Earth Queen to suffocate here on Korra. for some reason)

In Season 4, the main focus is on Korra and her healing from the brutal things the Red Lotus did to her. She is clearly still struggling, and it could have been another great way to show how being physically strong and confident doesn’t mean you can’t be vulnerable. But they make a lot of bad choices in this season.

One of my main gripes is that in order to heal, she has to return to her abuser, Zaheer, and HE has to teach her how to feel better.

I don’t want to compare LoK to ATLA, although it’s very important to mention that a show that’s a direct sequel, uses its old characters, and banks off of references, should be able to be compared to its predecessor. But I think it’s important to compare Korra’s arc here to Zuko. This doesn’t come out of nowhere; Korra has a lot of similarities to Zuko. The chopping of her hair is a significant turning point in her arc, and there’s an episode called “Korra Alone” (which is clearly a direct callback; shown below).

The difference between Zuko and Katara is that, a. Zuko never had to accept his abuser, and b. Zuko started off as a villain.

One of Zuko’s major points is when he confronts his father—his abuser. He does not bow to him and give in, saying that maybe he had a few good points or his heart was in the right place, but he directly says that Ozai was wrong for what he did. This isn’t the case with Korra. For some reason, Korra has to learn to trust her abuser. The person who did this to her:

And she has to hear him out.

This leads me to my second point, and what’s basically the complaint I have; despite being a protagonist, the show treats Korra like a villain. It frames her torture scenes as if we’re supposed to be excited that she’s being brutalized, as if we’re supposed to think she deserves it. And it’s not even handled properly as one of the villains we know so well—Zuko, who was able to overcome his abuse and become a protagonist who we root for. Again, Zuko and Korra aren’t directly the same characters, but there are parallels between the two and the show encourages their comparison. When it comes to Korra, however, we’re supposed to believe that she deserves everything that comes to her; the brutal scenes and the lack of dignity, even if she is a protagonist.

And in the end, that’s what we’re meant to believe; that Korra deserved what happened to her. In the finale, Korra says, “I finally understand why I had to go through all that. I needed to understand what true suffering was, so I could become more compassionate to others.”

This is, to put it short, ridiculous. I hate this so much I can’t even begin to say how much I hate it. No, Korra did not have to go through the torture she went through. She did not have to go through the mercury poisoning. She did not have to go through every hardship she did. This “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is so harmful because Korra’s healing revolved around accepting her abuser and thanking him for the awful things he did to her. Korra wasn’t even that cocky by the end of the first season, so what it’s essentially indirectly teaching girls is that if you’re confident, you’ll pay. It’s disgusting.

Zuko got a banishment to the Earth Kingdom, got to have his ideas and practices challenged, but he never got physically tortured. I truly, truly believe that one of the main reasons why Korra is quite literally villainized by the show is because she was a confident, brown teenage girl. None of the male characters are treated with such disrespect and we never get told that they need to be “humbled” by abuse.

This is not completely resolved to LoK; there are some aspects in ATLA that I think could’ve been fixed had there been more women in the room. I tag her a lot (bc her metas are awesome), but I really recommend you read @araeph 's Katara: Consumed by Destiny series. I also have a meta here about how Katara is treated in ATLA, specifically in “The Fortuneteller.” (I want to emphasize that while I am anti-Kataang, I don’t believe that Katara’s treatment had to do with the ship itself or that kataang is inherently anti-Katara. It’s just a note about how her character is treated in this episode and beyond.)

I’ve heard a lot of people say that they’re ‘glad’ that LoK didn’t feature Suki or Mai or Ty Lee, because they can’t imagine how poorly they’d be represented. And honestly, I can’t blame them.

This isn’t to say that we need to stop watching LOK or even ATLA. I think the internet has this weird problem where we’ve been told that the way to get rid of problematic media is to just stop consuming anything even remotely problematic altogether. But certain aspects of media will always be relatively problematic, since as content creators we sometimes input our biases into the things we create. The solution, then, is not to banish anyone who puts any harmful stereotypes into their content from society, but to actively and healthily criticize it. Bryke are not God, but they’re also not demons put on the earth to suppress woc. They’re white guys that have implicit biases that have worked their way into the content they produce. I think the lesson learned here, is to have women, especially BIWOC, in writing rooms, to prevent atrocious acts from happening to future Korra's.

Happy International Women’s Day, y’all.