#and I'm not mad about it

[kandadze]

FoF rewatch ep 2: or, Heroes, assemble! (gifs and loose thoughts)

(The 30 images limit is annoying lol I have way more gifs I wanted to use but oh well.)

Having a spotty short-term memory really works in my favor lol I get to rediscover moments that I somehow forgot existed, like ZYZ fake-gagging at WX's endearment for ZYC (activating ZYC's Annoyed Cat mode). Just how the turntables, oh Great Demon...

(The way ZYC grabs his sword at the second sneeze...)

The vow scene establishes that not only is ZYC's Cloud Light Sword the only weapon that can truly kill ZYZ *dead*, killing ZYZ with it is also the only way to prevent a new malicious energy vessel from being born. Absolutely no pressure, ZYC.

It's fascinating that even at this very early stage, ZYC's hate is not *blinding*. It's intense, enough to squeeze tears out of his eyes (also can we just appreciate how openly ZYC expresses his emotions? He seems so closed off and stiff otherwise, and at the same time ... ::gestures at his tears::) but it's not all-consuming. ZYC asks questions and listens attentively when the demon responds, even seems affected somewhat when ZYC mentions being a vessel for the malicious energy. At the same time, he won't hesitate to swear an oath on his very soul to avenge the deaths of his family. And ZYZ looks at him, his would-be executioner, as if he was his savior... Right from the get-go, we're being alerted that nothing is quite as it seems at the first glance.

There's a certain smugness to WX in her early dealings with ZYZ that grates on me just as much on the rewatch. Sure, there's the fact that she's smart and can hold her own against him, and watching them banter and call each other's bluffs is pretty delightful...

And then there's her threatening to kill herself just to get a piece of information that he already refused to provide and is not vital to the issue at hand. I can just imagine how utterly stupid and wasteful that must've looked like to him, even if he didn't already have a vested interest in her wellbeing. You're lucky that he does care (and that this particular cell wasn't blocking his powers, or at least not enough), girlie!

On the first watch, the scene with ZYC sitting at The Table of Brooding and looking at the tokens for the remaining members of the team with a clear apprehension was, at least to me, just pretty (look at that view! Look at his eyelashes! Ahem.). On the second watch you go, foreshadowinggggg!

The Table of Brooding *and* Poignant Conversations:

Our second glimpse at baby!YiChen and I realize that most of the memories we get to see of him are set in winter. It's a great touch, visually placing that sad, broken kid in a season that appears as dead, cold, and empty as his heart used to be; at the same time it seems to imply that even years later, a part of ZYC is still frozen and alone in that snowy landscape. ::hugs baby!YiChen::

This is such a great shot:

I unironically love how some things did not get any clearer on the rewatch, like the whole Ying Long prophecy/ curse is still confusing to me. If ZYZ is over 30,000 years old then that would mean that for just as long there was only one "evilest demon" to kill; if there was any other demon that was killed by a Bing Yi descendant *after* Ying Long, it should be recorded somewhere, but there's no mention of it ever (correct me if I missed something). Soooo the only "evil demon" killed by the Cloud Light Sword that we know of was Ying Long, literally in prehistoric times when the world was still being formed. And Fan daren is not of Bing Yi lineage... how does he of all people know about the prophecy in the first place? (did humans even have speech that far back? How was the prophecy even heard/ understood, not to mention recorded?) How does he know that it's accurate, and that it's a curse?

Even our swordsman appears confused, but at the same time what he mostly cares about is that, curse or no, it means he'll get to avenge his brother and father. Even if he finds it odd that the demon *wants* to die so much he goes as far as to extract an oath from him. (This surely is not a set-up for a tragedy of Greek proportions, nothing to worry about ZYC)

Another moment that I forgot about, which once again proves that this whole show is like getting lost in a gallery - there's stunning portraits, landscapes, and still nature wherever you look.

To continue with the foreshadowing, once we get to meet PSJ for the first time, she's, as someone already rightfully pointed out, *blindfolded*. It's an absolutely brilliant, if small, detail that means so much more once you get to know this character.

Case in point for Bai Jiu and his silver needle...

(Also, it just hit me that they show him seeing patients at the Jixin Clinic... can we say more foreshadowing???

Which actually begs another question... how has ZYZ *not* recognized the place??? Did he literally erase all of his memory of it - together with what happened here - from his mind?)

Even the way WX and ZYZ went about recruiting PSJ and Bai Jiu foreshadows what their respective dynamics will be - WX will flirt like whoa and PSJ might be a grump, but she'll be there to catch WX whenever the goddess needs her; and ZYZ, as much as he seems to enjoy teasing Bai Jiu, will remain endlessly patient and gentle with him at the same time.

(Bai Jiu could've had another, more mischievous elder brother in ZYZ is all I'm saying, had it not been for we all know what(s), as well as his hero-worship/ fixation on ZYC...)

Case in point, the whole scene of Bai Jiu arriving at the Demon Hunting Bureau:

Then we have this - hilarious to me - moment when we get reintroduced to ZYC via Bai Jiu's admiring eyes, but all ZYC seems to notice is ZYZ:

ZYC had Bai Jiu at 你好 (not that I blame him lol)

(On the rewatch, this totally reads as hero-worship/ teenage crush, and I love love the found brothers story we get with these two, and *also* can you imagine how much the shipping potential would've increased had we gotten an older Bai Jiu, as was supposedly planned? I guess even GJM was not able to make *that* happen...)

How fast does WX go from snickering at Bai Jiu to running to PSJ's side once the archer arrives?

(Love this outfit on PSJ, it's one of my favorite color combinations)

Our heroes, assembled!

ZYC and ZYZ, doing what they do best (lol, or at least one of the things they do best):

We also get introduced to ZYC's third mode, Petty Little Bitch:

And finally, sorry WX, but you're supposed to be the one with book smarts in this ensemble... Even on the first watch I knew that the way they were made to "sign" that martial order was sus af, but she didn't even blink, or look at the damn thing again till the hidden message started appearing?

Anyway, this is long enough as it is lol The first two eps were definitely building blocks of our squad. Time to raise the stakes in ep 3!

[janahanooo]

No one asked, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

Lets just say, "Yuu caused drama" is where Yuu makes the public belive they are in a relationship with the big guns

Yuu: to be honest

Yuu: I expected better from you Vil

Vil: *he was interviewed with Negie*

Vil: what should I have said? That Negie is better than me in something?

Yuu: isn't he?

Vil: you are so lucky I lied to the reporter that you are my lover

Yuu: yeah, how lucky. Deal with the concequences later will you

Vil:

Malleus:

Vil: look Draconia senpai, I-

Malleus: how could you Schoenheit... Child of man is my lover..

Vil: what? Last time I checked they belonged to no one.

Malleus: oh? Did they? That just means we have a healthy relationship, hidden from the cameras

Vil: tch

Leona: the fuck herbivior?

Yuu: what? I like drama... even if I'm now a part of it

Leona: cruel.

Leona: should I join?

Yuu: yes please, this is going to be such a good drama for the reporters

[bedtimegiraffe]

It was kind of frustrating at the time, but now I love the way BOLAS surprised me with Aerin. In both books I guess (That's the prince who's corrupted?! ...Nevermind, good job, that does make more sense), but I'm thinking about book 2.

I first read Aerin's letter and thought, "This is some bullshit. That idiot left an incredibly vague letter where he says nothing. And I know that bitch- he always has a plan. He's just not sharing it. Well, I guess we'll address it when he returns with the key to dramatically saving the day in Whitetower, redeeming him so hard and so publicly he's put back in line for the throne, or at least released from prison."

Only that doesn't happen even a little! The letter is vague because Aerin doesn't know what he's doing any more than we do. He's anxiously spiraling and doing his best to explain without having to look another real person in the eye. And he does come back a few levels higher (new sword, new gadget proficiency, new alchemy recipes), but Aerin very much does not save the day. He's there. He helps! But you don't need him there. And it's made pretty clear that he'll be killed if he steps foot in the palace again.

And that makes it so much more compelling to me. Because Aerin is smart enough to know his coming back probably won't be the thing that makes or breaks the fight. Which means coming back might not benefit him. The group could reject him, even send him back to prison. Even if they don't, he could absolutely die when he could have been safe anywhere else.

But, you know...

[guardian-angle22]

Ronen Rubinstein in Smiley Face Killers

[son-of-drogo]

Me watching Avatar when I was younger: Haha it would be amazing to travel the world and have so much freedom as a kid.

Me watching Avatar in my 30's: I AM SIGNING THE ADOPTION PAPERS RIGHT NOW ALL THESE BABIES ARE MY CHILDREN DO NOT TALK TO ME!

[soulminyg]

So,

Somehow I ended up reading a book about a gay vampire and human lesbian.

[ziipzeepzop-eez]

What’s a quart-logy? anyway

𝘋𝘰𝘰𝔱 ⓓ𝓸ℴ𝒕

The one after the "tri" to make the trilogy!!! 😁 Like 3 to 4, y'know? 😌☕

[thespineoftherighteous]

shit I might be getting back on my kevallison kick

[livingintheupsidedown]

it's official - i'm in my poe dameron phase

[whenyourfavouritedies]

[ID 1: black capslock text on a white background with 2 detailed drawings of skulls seen from the side and the front. Text reads: "semi-annual skull check / do you still have yours?"

ID 2: Screenshot of tags reading: "Ah fuck hold on. Let me check. 1. 2. 3. 4. Where's the fifth one" /End ID]

[xiaq]

So my bike was stolen from our garage last night. My beloved, custom, carbon fiber, most-expensive-thing-I-own-aside-from-my-car bike. I just found it listed on FB marketplace. Shit is about to go down.

[faerieyuri]

i've had so many conversations with people in fandom/creators' circles who are genuinely afraid to make the stories or art they want because they fear (often with good reason!) that their friends might kick them out of their circles, or worse, launch a public harassment campaign against them.

as someone recovering from this fear-based mindset, i want to affirm:

- friends who use implicit or explicit threats to maintain social control are not your friends

- communities that monitor your social media and ao3 to surveil you for perceived transgressive content are not safe communities

- the vast majority of people are NOT going to hate you if you make the art you want

- if you find yourself in a friend group that makes you feel afraid to speak your mind, it's in your interest to disentangle yourself from that group as quickly as possible

- real, honest disagreements between friends can be solved respectfully without the use of public shaming

- if you're feeling afraid in a community, it's likely that others are feeling afraid too. support your friends who may be struggling to leave an abusive fan or creative community, and let them know you're a safe person to voice doubts and disagreement to.

- if you're feeling like you'll never find a safer community of people, i promise there are others who feel that way too. it may take some time, but you'll find people who treat you and your ideas with respect. a good place to start is the people who make the type of art that you admire but that you're too afraid to make yourself.

ok that's all, take care of each other and be nice 💜

[inkskinned]

they will need to whipstitch the wound closed, but embroidery is a "woman's" task. they will need to eat and clean and mend clothes, but why learn basic things when you can have a woman measure out your life in beads. he will be the "head" of your house, but if you want him to act accordingly, you must assign him a list of all applicable activities. you will be otherwise constantly in charge of almost-everything; so he will lead the house he is absent from.

in movies and books, the "cool" girl will be more-like-a-man. she will be "less boring," more "fun". she will have masculine ideas and masculine talents, which means a man doesn't have to change in order to find her fascinating. she will disdain of something as simple as stitching. how boring!

she will kick open the door of a car and quip what, girls can't drive? and flip her long hair down one side. she will grill and shoot a gun and skydive. be a guy. she will be sexualized.

somewhere, working on computers becomes a masculine task, and now on tv a gen-z disney character throws her hands up in the air. i can't be a computer science nerd, i'm a girl! in the real life, she will be unable to sit through some of her classes, shivering when she realizes she is the only woman present in several of them.

how many times have you read this book and seen this show and watched this movie. the singular woman is allowed 5 lines because she's not just smart! she's also pretty! she is surrounded by 20 average men, but she is stunning. she is the exception to the bland, pale lives of women-at-home, who will never be shown. she likes dirt and motorbikes and blood and shows up in a tiny dress during the final scene, rolling her eyes at our male lead's incredulity - just because i like motorcross doesn't mean anything. i'm still a woman, okay? i actually like shopping.

it is almost never reversed, and you think about that often. it is vanishingly rare to have a single man in a cast of women. the male love interest does not show up at a feminist march and sardonically squint at our leading lady - what? you thought only women care about human rights? he does not know how to balance a checkbook or kickbox because i grew up with three sisters.

when he cooks he is a chef, which is sexy. when he cleans, he's being kind, genteel. when he nurtures his family, confetti rains from the ceiling. when she does these things: it is her duty and her identity. what do you mean she has other passions and hobbies? isn't her hobby and passion homemaking?

the other day a friend embroidered a seam closed on your jacket into the shape of ivy. every time you touch it, you think of her.

something about women's hobbies and art and skills. something about women's work.

[msgeekstyle]

at this point every time I see otters on my dash I automatically think of @mynameisjessejk's "Otter Mayhem" series

[evolvingsidekick]

What Vogue the song is to me⬆️

[gingermintpepper]

I think, perhaps one of the funniest things to come from EPIC popularising the Odyssey is that now a ton of people think Poseidon wanted to kill Odysseus.

In the Odyssey, Poseidon has no intention of killing Odysseus. In fact, part of the whole reason Zeus lets Poseidon do whatever he wants even though he thinks Odysseus is rad and should get to kiss his wife is explicitly because Poseidon had no intentions of killing Odysseus. Poseidon wanted to pay back the suffering/inconvenience blinding Polyphemus would have caused. It's a really abstract thing tbh. How do you pay back someone permanently disabling your son? Poseidon's solution was just to amputate Odysseus from his other half; i.e. Penelope. The end game was never murder, it was always an endurance race.

(Od. Book 1: Zeus reassuring Athena that he is not, in fact, a part of Odysseus Hater-Nation. Trans. Robert Fagles)

Also, for those wondering if there's any sort of in text reason for why Poseidon wasn't around in God Games - at the time in the Odyssey when Athena petitions Zeus to let Odysseus leave Calypso's island, Poseidon was -checks notes- on vacation in Ethiopia. Yep. He left to Ethiopia for a festival and thusly was very much absent for Athena's whole "please let Ody go? Please? 🥺" request.

(Od. Book 1: While Odysseus was suffering, Poseidon went to party in the east)

I am begging y'all to read the Odyssey. It's a comedy for everyone except Odysseus and Penelope who are, in fact, suffering 24/7 365.