#and also like. i do think they all have likable qualities

[badbookkeeping]

genuinely liking and enjoying every only friends character means going thru the fucking trenches every week lmao

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

How do you feel about the various Marvel speedsters, most prominent of course being Quicksilver but also Northstar, Makkari and Speed?

Speed is baby and I love him. Seriously though I've been a Tommy fan for a long time. House of M was one of the first comics I've ever read. My parents took me to a comic book store and I hand picked it out of all the others. It was the first comic I chose to buy (albeit with my parent's money because I was a child). My younger brother was in the hospital at the time, he's better now but at the time it was hit or miss, and I was keeping him company so they wanted me to have something to read while he was comatose. I think I read that book front to back 50 times. Despite its faults House of M will always have a special place in my heart because of that.

The whole convoluted mess that is the Maximoff family is fantastic. Pietro and Tommy included. I'm particularly a fan of Speed though. He's great in the Young Avengers and whenever he shows up with Prodigy and I just really really really like the guy. He's like a kicked puppy in the rain. I wanna give him a blanket and food and another puppy to be friends with. He's so sad.

Pietro I like but in a 'oh my god he's such a fuck up, ain't he great?' kinda way. I really love him. He is such a fuck up though I swear to god. It's different from Tommy too. Tommy is a kid who just wants stability and love and is terrified of being hurt. His 'bad decisions' are a thinly veiled mask for a traumatized kid. But Pietro??? Pietro wakes up and says 'today I'm going to make the worst decisions possible' and then he does it. He kidnapped his daughter at one point, which almost caused a war, and then drugged her, with sacred religious and volatile drugs he stole, to give her powers, which could have killed her. He makes very bad decisions.

Northstar is a bit of an asshole. I'm going to be honest here... I'm not really a Northstar fan. I think it kinda defeats the purpose of Marvel having speedsters in the first place if Northstar is ten times faster than them. It'd be like if Superman was faster than the Flash. It just kinda sucks the air out of Marvel speedsters in general. Like, cool, this random mutant can fly way faster than the speedsters and they have no chance in hell at being faster than him. That's great I guess.

Makkari I'm not super familiar with. I do like Marvel but I definitely don't have the same in-depth knowledge on Marvel lore as I do for DC lore.

Oh also there's Speedball. I think he would count as a speedster? It's been a while since I've read his stuff. If I remember correctly he absorbs energy and then uses it to bounce around at superspeed and create kinetic energy fields. He's connected to space and time and he can control kinetic energy and motion. He can control his molecules and one time he used his kinetic energy to make a suit. He doesn't run but he's still the closest thing Marvel has to a DC speedster.

It is.... extremely unfortunate what happened to him. They took a good, fun loving, nice, happy and wholesome guy and made him the catalyst for Civil War. Had him be responsible for a city blowing up. Took this sweet kind guy and made him a reckless asshole who killed thousands. Then they gave him an edgy make over and had him come back as the darker meaner bader version of himself. Anyway. I was a Speedball fan. Civil War trashed his character though.

[hoodreader]

Why does Chappell Roan get so much hate?

most of the hate she gets can be summarized with one word: misogyny. people hate when women are sure of themselves. but i’ll just be observing the ways this may present through her natal chart.

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི Tenth House in Cancer

this is going to be the house of notoriety/fame, because it’s the most public house in the chart, thus it represents our place in the public eye. it rules our relationship to the public as well.

in cancer, the native’s is known particularly for lunar themes (and contextualized to their own moon placement, as moon will be the lord of this house). chappell’s relationship to the public is one that is nurturing, empathetic… in some ways, a guardian. she may be known for her emotions (which she is) or intimate life (which she is, in a way). in my opinion, the tenth house also shows how we are publicly commodified. & i notice people try to commodify her emotions quite a bit.

her tenth house lord (moon) is in sagittarius and conjunct sagittarius pluto, in her third house - the house of communication and thought. and her moon is rejoiced in the third. thus, she will be known for her opinions.

let it be known… this is a very intelligent and well-spoken woman. like i really don’t give a fuck what nobody say, all of the clips i see of her speaking shows that she’s very thoughtful and intentional in how she speaks. and that is all the jupiter, pluto, & moon influence in this house. jupiter = wisdom, truth, justice. pluto = depth, taboo, complexity. moon = conviction, the mind, & the shadows.

however, because her tenth house lord is in the third conjunct pluto, her vocality is going to attract a polarizing response. this is usually because it almost ‘triggers’ the general public, especially triggering a deeply emotional response (10h in cancer, lord conj pluto). people kinda want to disagree just for the sake of without even genuinely engaging with her thought. sag pluto gen is a generation that’s already highly political (imo) but because that malefic informs her tenth house lord, she will almost be reprimanded for it.

it also causes an issue of parasociality. when u have ur tenth house in cancer, this causes people to already think they know u more than they do. however, the lord being conj pluto can show obsession, aggression, or possessiveness toward her from the public. like ‘helicoptering’ her. in the third house, it can show they wish to have dominion over her thought. but she is natively a very emotional speaker with a lot of convinction (3h sag moon). moon is a defensive planet so she’s going to always defend her standpoint / feelings, & this angers them more.

a woman with a tenth in cancer is going to have submissiveness projected onto them. people expect them to just lay down and take it. they expect conventional femininity & womanhood, but chappell’s femininity & womanhood as an openly lesbian woman deviates from the convention. her vocality deviates from the convention. etc. so the fact that her moon is in a self-assured & righteous sign and her moon wants to defend itself frustrates the people who hate her.

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི Fourth House Venus in Capricorn Opposite Tenth/MC in Cancer

as venus represents grace and charm or likability, her venus in capricorn and in the fourth doesn’t necessarily mean she is dislikable, and it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have those venutian qualities. but it means u have to know her or understand her more intimately for them to show. it’s saved for her intimate life.

in fact, venus is one of the quieter planets in her chart. in a sign of saturn, it shows reservedness. in the fourth house - the house of invisibility - it shows this romantic, feminine, graceful side of her isn’t as acknowledged. despite that literally being her chart ruler, since she’s a libra rising.

but again… her tenth house in cancer opposes her venus in capricorn. saturn already causes an effect where people interpret it as a lack of, so people think she outright lacks these qualities because they don’t perceive them.

her public image is at odds with her venutian expression to the public. which pisses them off because like i said before, that tenth house in cancer/first house in libra causes people to want to project submission onto her. but she’s not a submissive person.

the nature of libra/venus and capricorn/saturn is structure and balance. there’s a reason why saturn exalts in a venutian sign. she’s someone who deeply values peace, contrary to popular belief. her worldview/mindset/soul (first house) is literally in the sign of fairness & balance (libra). her chart ruler is in the sign of structure (capricorn).

but… the thing is that because her chart ruler is in a saturnian sign, she’s willing to more stubbornly assert herself. she’s comfortable making others uncomfortable for the overall goal or objective. and people hateee a woman with boundaries.

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི 1H/Ascendant in Libra Opposite Aries Saturn, 4H Venus in Capricorn (Chart Ruler) Square Aries Saturn (Venus Dispositor)

those with saturn harsh-aspecting the ascendant may struggle to be understood, accepted, or given grace by others. saturn rules isolation, so a lot of times, those with saturnian influence in the chart are isolated & unwelcomed.

this effect is also felt with the chart ruler is harsh-aspecting saturn, which it is in this case. and saturn is also the dispositor of venus. again, venus = grace/charm.

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི Misogyny

i did have a long ass drafted post about the astrology of misogyny, and maybe i’ll post it later. but for now, i can briefly speak on natal placements i think indicate a woman will experience a disproportionate amount of misogyny, relative to women with similar behaviors.

1H Libra Lilith - reference the myth of lilith

Moon conj Pluto/Venus square Saturn - the planets associated with womanhood are aspecting the malefics

Pisces Sun, Aqua Mercury, & Pisces Jupiter Conjunction - people hate women with big/strong personalities or women who are intelligent or provoke ur thoughts

Jovial Women (Sag Moon, Pisces Sun/Jupiter) - as i said above

𓊆ྀི❤︎𓊇ྀི Upcoming Solar Eclipse in Libra

the eclipse is on her ascendant (the house of health & the mindset) & opposing saturn (deterioration, exhaustion) so i’m not shocked she’s experiencing a menth health decline as a result of the dogpiling. the reaction she got for a very tame take about both kamala & donald being pieces of shit was ridiculous considering they’re both endorsing multiple genocides. i advise she stay private during this time anyways.

all the hate she getting lowkey making me wanna tap in, so y’all gon fuck around and make a fan out of me. but yeah.

hope this was interesting.

[suniverseastro]

ASTROLOGY OBSERVATION #14

Mars in the 2nd house is very possessive

Moon Aquarius is easy to sympathize with those around, although they may have many bad qualities, they will often be ignored by people because of their support in the team. Some in this group when they don't like someone and hate openly can easily recognize their feelings, these people can play bad tricks like using crowds, councils to bully

Here are some of the positions that I don't like very much, doesn't mean they will all be the same and I hate everyone with this aspect, it just brings some difficulties and disadvantages, takes a lot of time time to recognize and transform it:

1. Moon Square/Opposite Pluto: often emotionally volatile and explosive, has difficulty controlling anger, may experience more bad luck with women

2. Moon square / Opposite Uranus: actually this is one of the most horrible corners for me because as far as I know and actually it means about their separation from the mother physically or mentally

3. Venus square/opposite Mars: causes sexual attraction but often changes partners too quickly and gets nowhere

4. Mars Libra: passive in problem solving. The house in this position plays an important role, like the one who moves the pieces tactically. I think it is necessary to add other angles to strengthen this position, especially Pluto to increase ambition and determination.

5. Venus Gemini: often emotional, easy to play emotional roller coaster with others, unpredictable, interesting, but for me this is not a very good position in love, they easily find it difficult. hard to find the right person

6. Moon square/Opposite Saturn: often encounters problems in childhood such as abandonment, working in a difficult, deprived environment, shouldering responsibility, loneliness; They have quite a lot of psychological damage, rarely share, confide, and find it difficult to open their hearts to others. When they learn to be less strict with themselves and learn to accept and love themselves, the door in their souls will lead them to the good things that are waiting for them on the other side of their hearts.

7. Venus square/opposite Uranus: feel less interested in wanting a relationship Some positions I like:

Moon trine/sextile Pluto: I once wished to have this aspect because it gives the ability to read other people's psyches and understand emotions deeply and they themselves also have a protective covering for their minds. mine

Sun trine/sextile Pluto: have their own privilege in society, they can be people whose image others consider as an authority and important figure, admire; Their passion is strong and they will try to do it

Mercury conjunct/ trine/ sextile Neptune: they have acumen, speciality and development in language, can know 2 or more languages, have artistic abilities, their voices are quite cute

Venus trine/sextile Mars: they easily radiate sexual attraction to other people (regardless of gender), which makes it easier for them to have relationships

Ascendant trine/sextile/conjunct Mercury: usually curious, cheerful, child-like eager people, they often have an active, playful appearance.

Ascendant trine/sextile/conjunct Sun: confident, shine, positive energy

Moon in Sagittarius/9th: very active, cheerful, likable, open and optimistic, they respect others and different cultures and religions

Mercury in Gemini: funny people, lots of topics to talk to, easy to talk to anyone, except people they don't like

Mercury conjunct/trine/sextile Pluto: their voice has charm, weight, usually straight to the point, analytical, inquisitive and rarely afraid of knowledge and reason

Moon sextile Venus: cute girls and boys, graceful words, pleasant, non-aggressive, cohesive and peaceful

(a position can't say who you are, everything will change, maybe for the better, maybe for the worse) try to take a deep breath and try to feel the peaceful moment in the present

Thank you everyone for inspiring me to write articles on this topic. Thank you for your love for me; love you all. Wishing you all good health, peace and luck ⭐

[ceoandslutler]

a short analysis on the theme of kindness in kuro, in defence of the morally reprehensible protagonists.

i previously spoke about sebastian pulling a "not like other humans" line on ciel but the things he's actually saying in this chapter are crazy...

chapter no's and pages in alt text!!

media illiterate (most kuro fandom antis') logic is that ^this guy's^ the big bad villain of kuro, there's so much to analyse about the theme of kindness and humanity in kuro but ultimately people are blind to it because sebaciel are not the kind, happy-go-lucky type of protags many people are used to and people struggle to purify them. there are so many people in this story "more innocent" than them and less morally grey which makes them look like worse people but the fact is that they are the "worse" in a world full of the "worst". they're there to show you how despicable humanity can be but they have their moments of 'good' (otherwise they'd be lacking in likability), especially moments like this can be quite odd in this story about corruption and evil because in those pages, these two do not seem like the deplorable, manipulative and conniving characters we often see them as. this moment reminds me of another very dear chapter to me which two volumes comes after this.

this is such an interesting part of the manga (it's why the blue cult arc is my favourite arc of the manga despite all the popstar/idol shenanigans that threw a lot of people off). the way these two behave in this arc is not normal, they do not need to go above and beyond for these people. it is not necessary for sebastian to go this far for ciel AND his tenants (who it is important to note he has no contractual obligation to care for, especially not to the extent of giving them the "time of their lives") and it is certainly not normal the way ciel treats these people with zero contempt even when they 'disrespect' him as a noble. these two are genuinely weird for their time, blue cult arc also gives us an unforgettable seb moment (link).

this chapter also serves as part of the transition between the blue cult arc and the blue memory arc which is also...

one of the most intriguing parts of the manga... what's interesting here is that ciel HAS kept his tenants happy as proven by the halloween chapter (the page below from this same chapter talks of infrastructure needs having to be met and we read that ciel has fixed the roads since becoming earl and even an old donkey can transport milk from across them- that's how good the quality of the roads are). however, what i want to focus on is undertaker previously saying ciel, despite having phantomhive blood is not like his predecessors. in fact, the flashback chapter shows he's not even like his own identical twin brother!

i really wonder what exactly undertaker meant by saying that right as ciel saves joanne in the school arc and also what vincent was thinking about his sons in this flashback sequence. did vincent think o!ciel is different too? and what is it that makes him so odd? or rather, what makes him an exception in the phantomhive family? i look forward to whatever yana has in store for us and hope to see where these wonderful characters with such bizarre morality (or lack there of) end up.

i will talk about this theme more in the future but if anyone has something specific to add, please do. and even if it's not too detailed or you're unsure, feel free to tell me what you think about the use of 'good' and 'evil' for the main characters of kuro overall! some things to consider:

fundamentally why are ciel and sebastian the way they are? and more importantly, do you think yana intended either of them to be read as strictly "evil"? a lot of people make the case of the fandom purifying them but i never see that these days, usually it's only ciel that's sanitised of all sin and sebastian that is demonised (although occasionally both are demonised as solely "bad guys"). i joke about them being narcissistic and not the nicest people (which is something i genuinely believe) but i do not think they are the root of all evil; which is a take you can have without absolving them of any and all misdeed they may have committed. i think what i'm really getting at is that sebastian is not ""evil""? and he's not innocent either. but he's a force for "good" in the story. he works for the phantomhive estate and the people living on that land more devotedly than a demon with a 3-clause contract with the master of the land should and he shouldn't be excluded from the phantomfam and only seen as horrible/evil but nor should he be solely seen as a silly little cat loving parent. and you don't need to ship sebaciel to see him this way, just read the source material with your eyes peeled, really think about what sebastian does and says. he's so interesting and he's so much more than the fandom makes him out to be. but interpret him however you want, i guess.

[chaos0pikachu]

Cinematography?? In MY BL??? Not as likely as you think.

TLDR: it's a joke!!! but also legit sometimes I see "cinematography in bl" and it's just some basic pictures with mid-tone lighting and blue t-shirts. Let's talk film terms like: aperture, panning, tilting, and movement in film so we can see what goes into cinematography (with sources!). Also if I name a show you like as "boring cinematography" don't send me hate mail I'll laugh

(examples used: Our Skyy2 vs kinnporsche, 2gether vs semantic error, 1000 Stars vs The Sign)

If I name a show you like in this post as "bad cinematography" be chill about it, like, I ain't saying you can't like it, I'm just talking about techniques here not personal likability or overall show quality. I like badly filmed shit too say hello to my collection of Friday the 13th Blue Rays we're just here to talk techniques and like, educational stuff okay?

So the straight (heh) textbook definition of "cinematography" is: the art of making motion pictures. Which, frankly, tells you nothing. Like it's not wrong~~ but it's not informative either. Cinematography covers a lot of what we, the audience, visually see on screen:

"Cinematography is the art of photography and visual storytelling in a motion picture or television show. Cinematography comprises all on-screen visual elements, including lighting, framing, composition, camera motion, camera angles, film selection, lens choices, depth of field, zoom, focus, color, exposure, and filtration." (source)

So let's talk movement in film.

So when I talk about movement, what do I mean? I mean the way the camera, the characters, and the environment moves within a frame.

This video on Akira Kurosawa's usage of movement in a scene is brilliant:

Something as simple as having rain or fire in the background of a shot can enhance the emotions of a scene vastly. it gives the scene depth - literal depth, not narrative depth - that would otherwise be missing.

The way the camera moves and transitions leading the viewers eye back and forth makes what you're watching more engaging. You aren't consuming these scenes, you are engaging with them. They are apart of the story itself, giving the environment life and texture so the characters within them matter more.

And, look, I get busting out Thee Akira Kurosawa might be unfair, but if we're gonna talk cinematography we can't not talk the importance of movement on film.

To understand good cinematography you have to understand what makes it good and as such what makes bad or mediocre cinematography.

In connection with movement we gotta talk about camera techniques like panning and tilting:

"Camera movements are a fundamental part of video production. They can be a powerful storytelling device, heightening tension, evoking emotions, and bringing the viewer into the action. Without saying a word, camera movements can transform a scene’s entire narrative, and direct audiences’ attention where you want it." (source)

So we have movement of environment, of characters, and we also have movement of the camera itself.

Ok so like, where does the BL come in Pikachu??

I'm getting to that, I'm going to start with a more general example: Our Skyy 2 (Bad Buddy meets 1000 Stars edition) vs Kinnporsche.

Starting at 5:17 we have Pran stranded or whatever, and this shot is like, it's fine. It's boring as hell, but fine. Why is it boring as hell? Well it's flat, it lacks movement, it lacks depth.

When the driver drove off the camera could have panned to follow his movement and then panned back to Pran at a different angle to showcase his isolation. Honestly since the scene starts with a mid close up of Pran, I would have had the camera behind Pran as the driver drove away, and had the camera pan around Pran 360 so we get shots of his environment, and him, while also emphasizing holy shit he's like, fucking stuck in the wilderness. 

In general, there's a big lack of movement in the scene. The camera remains almost entirely static, there's no attempt at zooming in or out, following Pran's movement, or showcasing his environment in any meaningful way. Even when Pran begins walking towards the camera the angle of the framing is still centered, rather than tilted downward or upwards to give us more dimension (non-BL comparison, the Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington does the "walking towards the camera" shots really well).

We get a cut of a medium close up of Pran, with a deeper focus so his environment is blurred out.

I understand the thought process of this shot, we want the audience to focus on Pran, but if the point of the scene is to emphasize he's alone, confused, maybe even a bit anxious at his new circumstances it could've been done better. Take a wider shot from this angle, open up the lens to allow for that background environment to come through and show him isolated. Maybe do a pan above him or tilt the camera up going from his feet up as he nervously ruffles his hair. There's options here.

This just adds more walking to the scene, which we already had. It doesn't enhance or emphasize anything about Pran's emotions as a character.

Anyway the camera continues to follow him and then we get another cut. And it's from the same angle as before, only this time we see a truck coming. The camera remains static, it completely stops moving, and we just wait for the truck to drive into the frame.

This whole sequence of events ends at 5:57 and while not a long sequence I find it frustrating because it's boring. The only way the audience knows that Pran is anxious is via Nanon’s acting, there’s nothing in the filmmaking that enhances or contributes to that feeling.

He’s alone, until he’s not, and that’s all the scene tells us. It leaves the scene lacking any tension as well, because we’re not getting a sense of isolation - how large is this space? How alone is Pran right now? What is the entirety of the environment? 

Contrast this with a similar scene in kinnporsche ep06 where Kinn and Porsche are alone in the mountains. I don't have a video of this specific scene so I have to link the trailer, starting at 1:48 to 1:52, but see how we start mid-close up of Kinn and Porsche, then pan out from above them? This is a better showcasing of just how vast the environment around Kinn and Porsche are.

They're still center frame throughout all of this, the depth of the scene is in mid-focus so nothing is blurred out and you can see the sharpness of the environment.

It also places the audience in the same space as Kinn, who is looking up at the sky while the audience looks down at him. It makes the audience a more active participant in the shot, emphasizes the state of the characters, gives the audience a sense of space & environment, and relies a sense of emotion.

The additional fast zoom out also adds to the scene by adding movement and making it more dynamic.

(my man pran looking like this 🧍)

Both these scenes are pretty short, but they're relaying similar information and one is way more dynamic and effective than the other. Both Pran and Kinn/Porsche are alone in the wildness, but in the latter there's a lack of space, a lack of movement, and a lack dimension. This is mainly a framing issue, so let's talk more about camera movement (panning, & tilting).

Here's a scene from 2gether vs a scene from Semantic Error.

(saw someone say 2gether had a high production value and chepie where??)

This entire scene with Sarawat and Tine is flatly shot. There is nothing in their background so no outward movement is happening, the lighting is even as are the colors, everything is at the same depth, and there's little to no motion in the camera.

The scene with Sarawat pushing Tine into frame. Why doesn't the camera follow Tine's motion of movement so the scene has more momentum? It just stops and the char falls out of frame before walking back into it. Then we get a series of cuts back and forth of close ups on Sarawat and Tine's faces. Back and forth, back and forth.

The editing leaves a ton to be deserved because if the back and forth did a quick pan back and forth with each beat we could build up tension, give the scene some texture, heighten the intensity of the argument. If we're going for something softer we could place them in on better set, or make the characters move themselves - have Sarawat walk away from the argument up those stairs, have the camera follow his movement as Tine chases him continuing the argument - or play with the lighting a bit, pan the camera down or tilt it something!

When Tine kisses Sarawat why doesn't the camera move with him in a more notable way? Why did we have a cut to a close up? And then we're back in a mid close up and more cuts and this editor is killing me!

This scene is 4mins long and the only engaging bit of filmmaking here is when the camera follows Tine when he steps closer to Sarawat putting the latter in the frame at 3:15, the entire scene is 4 minutes long.

I want to compare this scene to this scene in Semantic Error which is also all dialogue and also obviously filmed on a shoestring budget.

So right away the camera work here is smart, it starts off in an establishing shot, evenly lit, of Sang Woo and Jae Young both in the frame. Then we get a mid close up of JY looking down, then a tight close up of JY looking up.

The change in camera angle emphasizes his surprise at seeing SW here as he looks up at SW. The lighting has also changed, it's much brighter now. The camera also begins to move, where it was static before it begins to tilt and shift.

We get a cut to SW, the first one of this scene. JY is seeing SW in a new light for the first time, and as such so is the audience. By starting the scene off in an outward shot with both chars in the frame, they are placed on the same level and the audience doesn't see their expressions up close. So when we're hit with JY's close up of surprise and then SW's close up of his wet hair it holds way more impact. It enhances the feelings of JY's character for the audience.

The lighting behind SW has also changed, it's much brighter, and warmer compared to the cooler tones of light behind JY. The camera also slows, and continues to to tilt and shift. JY's world has literally been shifted on his axis.

We get another cut, this time medium on SW and notice, the camera stops moving for that moment and the light around him dims. It's not as saturated. We're moved out of JY's pov here and back into "regular" framing.

SW tries to make JY leave, we get a close up cut of the cut on JY's arm - hey editing used to display important and new information! - then the camera cuts to SW getting medicine and here's a small but important thing, when he tosses at JY the camera follows his movement. And instead of cutting away, when JY gets up thinking SW is hurt, the camera follows JY's movement back towards SW.

It would have been easy to make a cut there back and forth - like in the 2gether scene did over and over - but following the movement of the characters makes the scene way more interesting visually to watch.

Changing the angles of the camera from a lower angle (where JY is looking up) to a downward angle (where SW is looking down) makes the scene more interesting visually as well and enhances the storybeat of JY looking up at SW in a new light memorized. This contributes to the story as well, as it's JY who catches feelings for SW first so their are literally, on uneven ground until they're not later in the story. The camera is panning, tilting, moving with the characters even given the limited space. The lighting adds to the effectiveness, as do the minimal cuts.

On a technical level, the scene in Semantic Error is just better filmed. In my own opinion, the scene is far more engaging b/c the filmmaking is better, where in 2gether the reliance is almost completely on the actors to sell the scene with little help. And I'm not saying nothing about Bright and Win cause their stans wildin'.

Next, I wanna talk about aperture.

I saw a post that used this word and I didn't understand the context in which they were using it because aperture isn't a style of filmmaking its a camera setting or lens adjustment - it's the rate at which the camera opens and closes letting in light and focus.

"Aperture is the opening of the lens through which light passes. When you hit the shutter release button to take the picture, the camera aperture opens to the predetermined width, letting a specific amount of light through. A large aperture lets more light in, and vice versa. Aperture is calibrated in f/stops, written in numbers like 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16. The larger the number, the narrower the aperture." (source) <- really recommend this article if you want to learn about aperture in film.

A great non-BL example of aperture used for style is One Piece Live Action where cinematographers Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, and Michael Wood love using deep focus aperture in a lot of scenes.

But let's compare The Sign vs 1000 Stars.

So when the scene starts, we're in mid-focus/aperture, everything is of similar sharpness and depth. Nothing is especially blurred out we're getting the full spectrum of Phaya and Tharn's environment.

When the camera switches to close ups of Phaya and Tharn however, we get a deep focus aperture. That's why everything behind them is so blurred out. In a close up of Phaya, even Tharn's face is blurred. The director wants the audience to focus specifically on these characters individually, so we can understand the weight of their dialogue. But when the camera wants us to see the characters as a unit, it cuts, pulls back out of that deep focus and everything is back in mid-focus again.

Here's another thing, it's subtle but it's important.

This scene also combines what we already discussed about movement. At :08 of the scene, in that first mid-shot the camera is actually zooming in closer on Phaya and Tharn. Not dramatically, subtly, but it is there. This is important, because at 3:23 we get another mid-shot of them, pulled out of that deep focus, and the camera begins to zoom out.

The camera also follows the movement of Phaya grabbing Tharn's hands, then pans back up to Phaya's face once again before panning higher into the frame and panning back to their faces and zooming in.

When we move back out of that deep focus, into a mid-shot the camera continues to zoom out on the two characters as they kiss.

I saw someone say that this scene wasn't "filmed like BL kisses" and, eh? Like it isn't filmed in that static style of filmmaking which has dominated BL filmmaking probably due to budgetary reasons. But

The Sign follows a similar filmmaking style as Kinnporsche and Domundi shows do. But also just like, basic filmmaking techniques you'd see in shows of the non-CW/soap variety.

The thing fans are seeing here is film technique (probably partially due to a larger budget). Movement, lens adjustment, panning and titling, lighting and color are all playing a role in this specific scene.

Cinematography baby.

(sidenote the VFX of The Sign is dope as fuck too)

Okay so let's talk Our Skyy 1000 Stars

So this opening scene follows a similar structure to the scene in The Sign: mid focus shot of the two chars, into separate deep focus close ups. It's also a dialogue heavy scene like the one with Phaya and Tharn.

So why does their scene work better on a technical level than this one in Our Skyy 2?

The scene in The Sign combines techniques of aperture, movement, lighting, color and framing to give everything more impact.

In this scene with Phupha and Tian we get a similar editing style as the scene in 2gether: lots of back and forth cuts, very tight close ups, static camera movement. Where as the camera zooms in and out during mid-shots, the camera doesn't move in Our Skyy 2. It remains motionless even though a zoom in as the two characters lay in bed would add a lot to the scene itself.

In the close ups the camera continues to remain static, only changing angles when there's a cut. At 1:22 Phupha moves his arm to wrap around Tian, the camera could have taken a closer shot at his arm, and then followed his movement as he wraps it around Tian. Like how the camera followed Phaya's movement when he holds Tharn's hand.

Instead it's just a flat shot, we see his arm wrap around in a mid-focus above shot. The camera does move to follow Tian a couple times - at 1:50 for example. But overall, the scene is stiff - who sleeps like this frfr - in framing, in movement, in depth.

I want to say that I don't think this scene is bad - like I do the 2gether scene or the earlier scene with Pran - I think it's just, okay~~

And no, for none of these examples did I pick "the worst" shots or whatever. I'm not out to get any specific show, but tried to find comparable scenes and compare and contrast the filmmaking techniques used in both and how effectively they were used.

I want to leave off with this.

There's a lot that goes into cinematography, yes this singular shot of Furiosa is amazing, but what makes the scene amazing?

Pay attention to how the camera moves (panning and tilting), when the camera moves (zooms in and out), the movement of the scene (the hair and sand moving), the lighting (Furiosa from behind is in darkness, her side profile more lit), the depth of the scene itself changing (as she walks away from the group the focus/aperture gets deeper on her, then when she walks out of the frame it grows larger to focus on the characters left behind).

All these little things make up what is "cinematography". The more you learn about the techniques used the more you can notice about film and what makes a scene powerful.

As BL gets more budget we're seeing shows expand their filmmaking catalogue more and more. Which is exciting! If fandom is gonna talk cinematography I think it's helpful to have the vocab to do so, and it's cool to watch a scene and be like "oh I see what they're doing here and why and how".

I mentioned other things that go into cinematography like framing, lighting, color, and there's also editing (which is separate). Idk if I'll make a post about those things cause I'm lazy and this shit takes forever to research and write but who knows~~

Check out other posts in the series:

Film Making? In My BL? - The Sign ep01 Edition | Aspect Ratio in Love for Love's Sake | Cinematography in My BL - Our Skyy2 vs kinnporsche, 2gether vs semantic error, 1000 Stars vs The Sign | How The Sign Uses CGI | Is BL Being Overly Influenced by Modern Western Romance Tropes?

[like these posts? drop me a couple pennies on ko-fi]

[natalyarose]

𝓈𝒶𝒷𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒶 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓅𝑒𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇 (𝓋𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒸 𝒶𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜) ♡

My little sister introduced me to Sabrina Carpenter and I gotta say I loove her!! Not necessarily my type of music, but the older I get, the more I realise how every genre has something so beautiful to offer and it just makes me so happy to see ART and joy in this world of any kind :')

My first thought is she's gottaaa be Sun influenced- the pastel, literally sunny visuals, the bubbly smile & attitude, the 'lightness'. I find Solar women possibly the easiest to spot- even Sun women I've met who have 'darker' personalities & aesthetics still offer this light energy. I checked, and she is Krittika Sun! (I know she's getting very popular now so this is all probably old news to a lot of people lol but just thought I'd share).

ALSO, I've noticed people remarking on how she is bringing the element of dance and full 'performance style' back into music. Krittika is intimately connected to the art of dance.

Then she has Moon conjunct ascendant in Purvabhadrapada, in the 1st house! Classic Jupiterian sass & vocals (Jupiterians often have gorgeous and or very powerful voices since Jupiter traditionally rules the throat) + Purvabhadrapadas position as the archetypal 'femme fatale' is referenced in her song 'Feather'. Religious imagery is common to see with Purvabhadrapda natives too given the bhadrapada Nakshatras relation to sacrifice.

Since she has Purvabhadrapada Moon; this makes her yoni animal the lion- glamorous, proud, strong.

I noticed someone comparing her energy/demeanour/look in her music video for her song 'Espresso' to Sharpay in Highschool Musical, who is played by Krittika Ascendant, Ashley Tidsdale. Definitely a nice depiction of Krittika energy- being in Taurus, we see Venus (beauty, pleasure, luxury, art) combined with Sun (joy, warmth, self love, authority). Edit - y'all I think I got confused between different birth time sources, but Ashley is in fact mostly Bharani ascendant HOWEVER, with Venus in Krittika ruling her chart.

As well as Sun & Jupiter Nakshatras' abundant qualities, I think Sabrina having Moon in the 1st definitely helps to garner likability & widespread appeal. Moon reflects whatever is around it, so she's going to be somebody who as an artist, is naturally attuned to public opinion. Moon in the 1st can have a knack for identifying what is popular, and reflecting it back through their persona or art in their own way.

With Sabrina's Sun, Moon & Asc consisting entirely of Purvabhadrapada & Krittika, this makes the energies of the 'brahmin caste' extremely relevant to her. Brahmin Nakshatras tend to be associated with spirituality, knowledge, education, prestige or a 'priestly' quality. Of course, not always especially since the ways in which each Nakshatra works is very unique; but heavily Brahmin influenced people tend to find themselves in very privileged positions in life- even if they're in a rough spot, they carry themselves with an aura of importance and therefore tend to easily attract what they desire.

As I talked about in my Vishakha women post, especially Vishakha but honestly strong Jupiter influence in general is often somewhere in the charts of those who have the type of fame where they are ever expanding & deeply influencing the masses.

Anyway, I'm eating up her music videos lol, the solar energy is so uplifting- sorta makes me nostalgic for the 2010s, when mainstream music & trends was a lot more solar inclined in that way. Some may have considered it shallow (my edgy 12 year old self sure did lmao) but honestly I think there can be something very spiritual about artists making music that's just fun, joyful and silly.

Thankyou for reading & I definitely want to do more small observational/analysis posts like this! ♡

[nekropsii]

is it normal, would you say, to be a fan of a character who is on paper completely reprehensible because you _enjoy them as a character, not as a person?_

rufioh and kankri in particular are two of my favourite dancestors but it feels so wrong to say i'm a 'kankri fan' or a 'rufioh fan' because. that's such a loaded title that almost feels like holding up a neon sign that says 'i'm ignoring the textual misogyny both of these assholes espouse in every other sentence'

it also doesn't help that i am yet to find a single fan work (besides sovstuck, of course) that actually gets them right. any and all depth they have is taken away, rufioh is painted as being in the right and damara as his 'psycho ex', and kankri is just a walking joke with no nuance to his characterisation.

Literally completely normal, and I’ve spoken at length before how I believe the seeming general inability to separate “liking a character as a Character” vs. “liking a character as a Person” is doing some extreme damage and is also a major source of discourse and apologetics within fandoms in general.

From what I’ve observed, people seem to tend to think that when you enjoy a Character, you must also enjoy who they are as a Person, so they start sanding their Character down to make them a more palatable Person. Their actions and words are disregarded, their more unsavory traits are either softened or removed entirely, suddenly they have deep and tragic reasons as to why they viciously abused that person or hold bigoted beliefs so it’s actually okay, guys, so on and so forth.

I talk about Cronus a lot because he’s actually one of my favorite Alpha Trolls. As a character, he provides an excellent source of conflict and symbolism, and he’s an extremely important element in what makes Mituna so interesting and likable. Cronus is a vicious, unrepentant abuser and a total, unapologetic sex pest, he wants Alternian Culling to be legal to Beforus so he can legally kill Mituna for his disability with zero social repercussions, and so much more. He has absolutely zero redeeming qualities, and pretending like he even edges close to one means you’ve completely mischaracterized him and totally missed the point. If your version of Cronus even glances in the general direction of Genuine Redemption, throw it all away, you’ve made an OC and it’s too late for you. He’s a great character, and there’s a reason why I’m the main writer for him for Sovereignstuck.

There’s a reason I’d never call myself a fan, though. Hell, I’ve blocked people for labeling themselves as that before, because frankly… Jesus Christ. I’ve learned to take someone labeling themselves a Cronus Fan as a Red Flag. I’ve been here for 10 years. I know what that shit means 99% of the time, and I’m not going to be very willing to take chances for the 1%.

[valkyriexo]

Divergent x Stray Kids

What faction would they be in ? | OT8 Headcannon

A/N : these are my own opinions! Feel free to leave your own in the comments

Bang Chan

Faction : Abnegation

I feel like this one is such a no-brainer. Chan is naturally selfless and considerate, always prioritizing others before himself and ready to make sacrifices for the greater good.

In the Abnegation faction, where selflessness is the top priority, Chan would fit right in, gladly giving up his own wants to help others and make the community better without any complaints.

I think he feels a strong calling to serve a greater purpose in life, striving to make a positive impact on people and the world around him.

Even in challenging situations, he never backs down from doing what's right.

Chan is a natural leader, inspiring others with his passion and charm in all aspects of life, including their relationships.

Helping his friends and loved ones become their best selves brings him the most joy.

Lee Minho

Faction : Dauntless

This one is a little bit of a tricky one in my opinion. Truthfully, i think he would be divergent. Although, assuming he wouldn't want to be outed as divergent, and would have to choose a faction, I think he would be in dauntless (Hear me out!)

Minho's personality aligns perfectly with the Dauntless faction's values and lifestyle due to his adventurous and exploratory spirit.

Driven by a sense of fairness and open-mindedness, he moves through life with an encouraging attitude, motivating others to follow their passions.

His relaxed demeanor and "live and let live" attitude make him likable and popular, traits highly valued in the Dauntless community.

Beneath his quiet shyness lies an intensely feeling heart, driving him to embrace challenges and leave everything else in the dust when caught up in something exciting and interesting.

HOWEVER, I think that he could also belong to the amity faction because I wouldn't necessarily call him a fighter ykwim?

Seo Changbin

Faction : Dauntless

Muscle man???! WHAT CAN I SAYYYYY

Binnie is very adventurous by nature

He is willing to seek out thrilling experiences.

He thrives on physical challenges and eagerly faces his fears head-on.

Binnie's social nature makes him well-suited for the communal atmosphere of Dauntless, where shared activities and camaraderie are highly valued.

He enjoys being the life of the party and knows how to bring people together for a good time.

With his keen fashion sense and eye for aesthetics, he adds his unique style to the Dauntless community, making gatherings feel like celebrations.

Despite his outgoing nature, Binnie is observant and sensitive to others' emotions, always offering support to his friends when needed.

However, he may prefer to avoid conflicts if they involve him directly, prioritizing peace and maintaining a positive atmosphere.

Binnie's athleticism and dedication to fitness further emphasize his suitability for Dauntless, as he spends significant time honing his physical prowess in the gym.

His commitment to self-improvement and fearless attitude make him a valuable addition to the faction.

Hwang Hyunjin

Faction : Amity

Art= Amity

Although he has a quiet demeanor, he possesses a rich inner world filled with creativity and imagination, traits highly valued in Amity.

He finds solace in daydreams and storytelling, demonstrating a deep sensitivity to art, nature, and the emotions of those around him.

Idealistic and empathetic, Hyunjin longs for meaningful connections and feels a calling to help others, aligning perfectly with the core values of Amity.

In a fast-paced and competitive world, he may sometimes feel out of place, yearning for a community that appreciates his unique qualities.

Hyunjin's sincere curiosity about human nature and his compassionate, nonjudgmental nature make him a perfect fit for Amity's emphasis on understanding and empathy.

He cherishes deep conversations and feels honored to listen and offer support to those in need.

Although Hyunjin may sometimes struggle with internalizing the world's troubles and negative emotions, his desire for peace and kindness aligns perfectly with Amity's values.

He understands the importance of setting boundaries to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the injustices of the world.

In Amity, where peace and kindness reign supreme, Hyunjin would thrive, finding fulfillment in creating harmonious relationships and fostering a sense of unity within the community.

His ability to connect deeply and initiate positive change makes him a valuable asset to the faction, embodying the spirit of Amity's ideals.

Han Jisung

Faction: Candor

Jisung follows the beat of his own drum

His direct and straightforward approach to problem-solving aligns perfectly with Candor's value of honesty and truth.

Jisung prefers to tackle issues head-on, seeking straightforward solutions rather than relying on convoluted methods.

He is authentic and genuine,

Does not conform to societal norms.

While Jisung may not be inclined to socialize beyond what is necessary, he values sincerity and authenticity in his relationships.

Although his reserved nature may make him seem steady and predictable at times, he also possesses a store of impulsive energy that can lead him in bold and unexpected directions.

Candor values willingness to challenge the status quo and embrace change.

In Candor, Jisung would find an environment where his need for freedom, space, and unpredictability is understood and respected.

He would thrive in a community that values honesty above all else and encourages individuals to speak their truth without fear of judgment or deceit.

Also he's a yapper, and Candor's love to talk.

Lee Felix

Faction : Amity

100% no questions ask. Like, do I really need to explain myself?

He's the sunshine boi

Felix excels at creating and maintaining a warm and friendly environment for himself and those around him, fostering harmony within the community.

For Felix, life is all about shared experiences and forming deep connections with others.

He thrives in social settings and enjoys opening his heart and home to friends, loved ones, and neighbors, reflecting Amity's value of hospitality and inclusivity.

In Amity, Felix would find a supportive and nurturing environment where his dedication to creating a peaceful and inclusive community is valued and celebrated.

His ability to foster connections and maintain a friendly atmosphere would make him a cherished member of the faction, embodying the spirit of Amity's ideals.

Kim Seungmin

Faction : Candor

He is too honest lmao

Chan, you're half 52 next year??

In Candor, Seungmin would find a community that values his honesty and straightforwardness, where his dedication to maintaining honesty and integrity would be celebrated and appreciated.

People in this faction are very unlikely to show emotion, and let's face it neither does Seungmin

While forming close bonds with those who share his values and opinions, Seungmin believes in the power of hospitality and good manners, but he also isn't afraid to say what's on his mind.

Yang Jeongin

Faction : Abnegation

He's just like his dad (Chan) fr

His innate selflessness and loyalty shine through in his dedication to supporting and helping those around him.

Whether it's lending a listening ear or offering a helping hand, Jeongin is always there for others, embodying the essence of service over self.

Moreover, his reliability and commitment to excellence align with Abnegation's emphasis on putting others' needs before his own.

Jeongin's ensures that tasks are completed to the highest standard.

He has a keen eye for detail and genuine eagerness to make a positive impact highlight his selfless and caring nature.

He takes pride in going above and beyond his responsibilities, finding fulfillment in serving others rather than seeking personal gain.

ઇଓ A/N : these are my own opinions! Feel free to leave your own in the comments

ઇଓ M.LIST | Ko-Fi | Taglist | Thank you for your support ♡ | Consider leaving a comment, reblog or like ♡ | © 2024 Valkyriexo 

[harocat]

Perhaps this is inaccurate, but does it ever feel to you like general cdrama fandom takes the FL being a “mature” character as the end-all indicator of the show’s quality? Recently with legend of Shenli I see quite a few people start their praise along the lines of “unlike those other garbage xianxia with their annoying FLs”. And often it becomes clear they’re trashtalking Lbfad specifically

This is not just Cdrama fandom, it's fandom on the whole; the girlbossification of female characters.

I've generally always favored characters that get this treatment. Riza Hawkeye (badass) vs. Winry Rockbell (immature), Sango (badass) vs Kagome (immature). Sorry those examples are anime, but they're very well known so 🤷

These are also often healer characters, which is a trope that tends to be... sort of maligned. How dare a women be relegated to just being a healer! But IDK, I'd rather have a well written healer than a generic, flatly written warrior any day. XLH would definitely fall under the healer class.

(One good thing I've noticed is that while all the above mentioned girls got a lot of hate back in the day, as time has gone on, they've grown to become beloved characters. You rarely see hate for any of them nowadays. It's great.)

Keeping in mind fandom's general disinterest in women, so naturally the appreciation that does exist is often extremely shallow. Characters that tend to catch their attention because of this are ones that are 'badass' or that they want to 'step on them' or whatnot. A character that starts out more mature is more likable to them because they don't need to look beyond the surface to see how 'cool' she is.

This is not an implication that Shenli is a shallow character (I am only on ep twelve, so I'm not here to give any kind of overall impression), but just that she from the beginning has more traits that are easy for people to glom onto as a 'strong female character' Do these specific people (this is obviously not all fans of Shenli) who say 'finally a mature character' write meta about Shenli? Do they gush on her and share fanworks and create and all the like. Generally no, because in my experience people who like characters for 'girlboss' reasons don't really appreciate them beyond the surface.

These people will gripe about characters like XLH, sing the praises of 'strong female characters', then go back to only caring about male characters 90% of the time.

Xiao Lanhua takes too much work for these kinds of fans. Obviously we know she is strong, we know she is badass and brave, but the XLH we meet at the beginning is silly, immature, and boy crazy. To appreciate her character fully, you have to do more than just look for five seconds and go 'wow badass'. She's a layered, richly written character, but she doesn't start out as the kind of character that fits a girlboss reading.

On the other hand, almost because of this, you can find pages and pages of meta, fic, and fanworks about her, and almost any fan of hers can give you a plethora of reasons they love her that have actual depth.

On the subject of maturity, it's often a case of the kind of immaturity that's acceptable. Dongfang Qingcang is deeply immature at the start of the series. I don't need to explain why.

But his immaturity is appealing to fandom; cute, likable, and funny. It's good immature, cool immature. And I think this is because in addition to being a male character, we're also taught that being immature like Xiao Lanhua is--- is like... a horrible thing to be? But that's not the case at all. It's just normal! Again, back to girlboss feminism. Women and female characters are held to an impossibly high standard. Female characters that act in a way that might be seen as cringe (if they aren't also badass)? Yikes.

Yes, Xiao Lanhua starts out flighty and silly, but she's also a hard worker, and even from the beginning, she's courageous (despite her timidity when confronted with bullies). She's a good character, even at the beginning; she is lovable, charming, and so, so funny. People just refuse to see beyond their first impression.

The goal in writing a female character should be to make them well written, and in that sense, Xiao Lanhua is a great character. She just happens to also be extremely brave and badass, but some people are too shallow to see it. At this point in time I don't even argue with XLH haters. I'm just like 'well fine, I'd rather not have you here anyway.'

[jazeswhbhaven]

From what I've been seeing it feels like PB is focusing on quantity over quality. Things like Obey Me, TWST, and Nu-Carnival has a sizeable group of characters, but they're not too huge so it allows them to flesh each one out to a certain extent, but then they can introduce a diverse set of cards on each of them so you're not starving too much.

WHB has not only has 6 Kings and one more on the way, but they also keep introducing more nobles and angels. In a way it's not bad, but this is why I seriously feel it is a case of quantity and not enough quality. From what I've seen in this community, characters that have been in the game since Day 1 are being super neglected. Then we a have every new L card released being paywalled, nightmare passes that also have the top rewards paywalled, are more frequent, even this time around the S+ card requires more gold keys and it doesn't have anything remotely special about it whereas the last S+ did which was extremely exclusive only. Honestly it's...really sad. Now you don't NEED these cards and I'm not asking for freebies, but in the end they are asking for your life savings for even just the decent stuff, and then you still have to deal with the gacha to do that.

I personally need a decent amount of characterization to really appreciate a character so I do appreciate the world building but no character has stuck with me yet. So everytime a new one is released I go: "Okay but what about like...the existing ones?" Our last one was Leraye, which I'm sorry, it's just a reskinned of his OG card and I found that really scummy which was probably why he was locked through achievements which...was the saving grace still it was the only time it happened. The story was nice though.

I don't want to come off as ungrateful and I probably am, but I just don't understand PB's decisions on what they're doing anymore. We can't use the "they're a small company" card, I'm sure they're not the only small company, but I don't have any sources, but so far this is the first time I seen company really just throw their community into a blender like this...then again I only played like 3 other gachas which isn't a lot.

💭

hey there 💭 anon!

This observation came right in time with how I'd like to pretty much introduce the game to new players that are flocking in.

PB's decisions as of late to change how we get currencies, paid banners, and the progression of the main story and character building has been a damn journey.

I don't think you're ungrateful, I wouldn't call anyone that honestly because as the consumer YOU are the the one, p2p or f2p, in the end that has be entertained by this nsfw game. The only one in existence that is catered to both women and men audiences. With that in mind, you'd expect to see something worth buying/taking up nearly 8gb of space on your phone for.

When the game was first teased, me and my friend were talking about it and she was overwhelmed by the amount of characters they kept showing, I met her through the Obey Me fandom, so that was our bread and butter for the majority of conversations. When I moved on to WHB, she didn't come with, she stayed for like maybe a week or two and dropped it. I forget mostly why which I could ask her again on her opinion.

But I'll let you in on something I saw the other day, the community over in LaDS has been having some issues with their banners/other gacha related things as well stating that this recent banner is driving players away. I don't play LaDS but PB isn't the only company it seems starting to switch things up when it comes to decisions.

The S+ cards confuse me because what they introduced was hey here's beach Rara (Raphael) and he has an adore mode, a story with mild spice, and you chats/more lore about this bitey boi. I had so much fun reading through that. Amy and Sitri's all we get are the likability things and well from the previous expectation? That made me shake my head. (also for the extra gold keys thing, apparently it's only that high if you want to get it early, the card is going into the banner immediately after the event so in theory we all literally could have waited to pull them so we wouldn't have to spend that amount of gold keys)

As far as content goes, I think ultimately there's too many characters to work with. If anyone on the staff has a brain like me, it would be very easy to neglect characters here and there. I also do not like that Gehenna has yet ANOTHER noble (sorry Amy) but other countries are lackin'.

Also unrelated...WHERE IS GEHENNA'S GROUP PHOTO U G H.

Niflheim needs one too.

All in all I hear you. Chapter 6 and Mammons/Amy's events though have me believing that the best has yet to come, these banners though....we will see... Maybe things will pop off when Asmodeus debuts..

[weirdocat83]

obsessed with your tags, talk mdzs at me pls

Uh.

1) thank you, I really just put the random thoughts I have in the tags and/or accidentally steal other people’s tags

2) some thoughts about mdzs below the cut (I have a lot of thoughts about this novel) ye ask any ye shall receive. If you want to hear my thoughts on something specific plz ask :3

• My fav characters in MDZS are Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang. I love how WWX can be very complicated when he wants to be and has many layers and sides to him. Like, the fandom likes to simplify his character to someone self deprecating but always smiling but he is very complex. He acknowledges his faults and has only tried to do what he deemed right at the time even if he regrets what he does in hindsight. He isn’t infallible. He literally tortured a man to death (even if it felt right to do it considering said man orchestrated a massacre and tossed him into a literal pit of suffering to die in) and was a major player in a WAR. He’s probably killed more than he can count. I feel like a lot of people forget that the main cast is a bunch of war heroes that must’ve had insane kill counts. Including LWJ. It’s quite tragic that none of them really had any good authority figures to lead them seeing as the majority of them were at most 20~30ish and cultivators usually live extremely long lives (at least, that’s my assumption) anyhow, WWX is very aware of his faults, especially post-resurrection as he did kinda fuck up when he accidentally killed JZX. He acknowledges that and makes an effort to apologize and atone. That being said, his faults don’t stop him from being confident and above all likable. Yes he can be annoying but he does know how to behave himself probably better than most (unlike what many members of the fandom like to think). He knows his position well and that it is incredibly precarious (in both lives) but still manages to fit in well enough with essentially nobility that he is good competition for the best in his generation. He is a genius and a great leader and that isn’t stressed enough. Though I think one of the small details in his character that I think gets overlooked is how he “parents” A-Yuan in the burial mounds. Because for as immature as he is when he’s burying A-Yuan in the ground, he also knows that he isn’t the only one caring for A-Yuan and therefore is allowed to be silly but when they’re out at the market and A-Yuan asks for a toy he makes the mature decision to save his money (although LWJ spoils the kid immediately after). This reflects a lot on WWX because it shows he can be very mature when he needs to be but when he doesn’t need to be he’ll happily rely on others. It also reflects on his upbringing showing he knows how important money is (in contrast to the lans who are shown on various occasions to not really think about money much) Personally I love his character because he seems like a person I’d get along with if he were real (which, the incredible writing makes his seems very realistic) meanwhile my other favorite, Nie Huaisang, I love because he is misleading. Some of my favorite fictional characters are very misleading because of the masks they put up to fool people to achieve their goals. How a character will know more than they should but not let anyone know until the moment is right. NHS is someone who is easily underestimated because he seems helpless and unintelligent. And yeah, for a majority of his life he really didn’t care to further his education or really practice cultivation but later he takes this preconceived notion that everyone has of him and uses it to his advantage so nobody suspects a thing while he plans JGY’s downfall. It’s a scarily intelligent move and I think the fact that he takes pleasure in looking at art/books really adds to the fact of how intelligent he is. Most people see his art as pointless hobbies but I think it says a lot about the qualities of his character. I think a lot of people take for granted the patience it takes to make good art or the intelligence it takes to appreciate good literature. So when NHS's older brother dies under mysterious circumstances that just so happen to help the Jins? of course he catches on! He proceeds to keep his enemy close for over a decade until he finally gets his moment of revenge. Which, to me? Props, man. plus only one person even realizes what happened. WWX. 

Some things I don’t particularly like about MDZS (some people may yell at me for this and I'm sorry but this is my opinion): 

- how weird the yi city arc felt? It feels very out of place as we go on this whole journey to learn about all these people and what happened to them but after that they are pretty much no longer relevant. I only found out later that the yi city arc was initially intended to be its own story. So that might be why.

- how certain things are just *left* and never touched on again? We hear all this stuff about baoshan sanren but we never see her or really learn much about her at all. Similarly, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s parents? We hear all these things about them but never learn much at all. Which is weird all things considered when you look at it. It feels like a lot of background info for not much payoff. Yes, it gives us a lot of vital information on why things played out the way they did but it doesn’t stop the feeling that there should’ve been more. Part of me appreciated it though because it gives us no more information than the characters really have. Just passing information that is common knowledge but never really looked into just like many actual people have.

- how everything ended off. So we have that whole scene at the temple and then everything just… calms down? They all go home??? It felt anticlimactic. Especially with Nie Huaisang’s character as (in the novel at least) it sets him up to be the next chief cultivator despite being just as, if not more, sneaky than Jin Guangyao. And that’s probably intentional. The chief cultivator position was likely never meant to be a position of absolute good. It’s politics. But it is a bit weird that we never really see what happens to Nie Huaisang after, post revenge and all. 

[alastoridiot-meta]

I CANNOT let this continue to be the false narrative throughout the fandom so let’s just talk about Alastor and whether he will be redeemed.

The simple answer I have to this is… absolutely. Like what do you think the message of this show IS.

Alastor is a charming and likable character. He’s edgy and soft and rigid in all the right ways for fandom to take and hold onto him. Viv has said before, along with what is shown in the show, that he tends to have a weird and sort of warped morality.

On one hand, he has no problem threatening Husk, torturing overlords, and overall being a nuisance to every powerful male character that he comes in contact with.

But on the other hand, he believes in being able to control YOUR OWN fate, as said in his fight with Adam “you should know more than anyone what a soul can do when they take charge of their own fate”, implying control over one’s personhood, destiny, and general LIFE. In fact, it’s this sentence that just speaks to so many of Alastor’s true ideals in consent and soul contracts. Like yes he owns huskers soul and maybe nifty’s, but husk only furthers my own agenda of “Alastor targets people with power”, for one reason or another, those people are overlords. HE EVEN IMPLIES IN STAYED GONE THAT HIS TRUE INTENTIONS ARE DISTURBING SYSTEMS OF POWER, GOING AGAINST THE STATUS QUO.

And i know it’s wordplay for destroying the Vee’s, but with the combined evidence of: the Vee’s being the main metaphors for exploitation and taking AWAY control over one’s fate, along with heaven and what the hotel stands for, this makes perfect sense as to WHY he joined the hotel in the first place. Because it’s not for entertainment, and I highly doubt it’s any sort of power. This, along with the previous weird obsession with Lucifer and destroying overlords in general, his friendship with an overlord who values the people she employs to such an extent that Charlie still has to WIN THEM OVER… it just goes against everything the fandom would LIKE to say/think about Alastor.

So I guess what I’m getting at here is that the fandom is acting like Alastor is this big bad villain guy with absolutely no redeeming qualities to build off of, people are acting like defying powerful systems is NOT at all a redeeming quality that Charlie can’t build off of or use to make him gain other qualities.

Not only this, but with Mimzy and his entire relationship with her, how he just lets her walk into his life knowing that she brings trouble and he only banishes her when she proves once again that she brings trouble… like, I’m sorry but it just feels like people actively ignore these things because they’re looking for logical morality systems. Even people who know that this is an aspect of his character, tend to lack the capacity to understand that Alastor can and IS very contradictory.

He CAN own husks soul and make deals with people in exchange for goods or favors, while also disliking the idea of a soul not having independence and/or charge of their own fates. It’s contradictory. It’s supposed to be.

And I guess it’s this that always makes me confused when there’s fanart of a redeemed/angelic Alastor that is FILLED with comments like “I’m sorry but Alastor will never be redeemed” “it’s impossible for his redemption” “cool art but it’ll never happen”, GUYS.

WHAT. IS. THE. MESSAGE. OF. THE. SHOW.

It’s FORGIVENESS. It’s CHANGE. The entire fight in heaven is literally the angels spewing the same rhetoric when talking about Angel, but of course the show has to take baby steps to say that yes, everyone deserves redemption. Everyone deserves the right to change. Everyone can change. Everyone WILL CHANGE.

Alastor already believes in redemption, I know that based off of his conversation with Adam ALONE. What makes you think he can’t work towards it? Even if that’s not now, don’t you think a person would try anything to escape a contract? It’s probably the main motivation for Angel at all.

And I just. I guess I don’t understand how people could be watching and believing in a message about change and forgiveness, while simultaneously refusing to see that a character like Alastor could change. Abusers can change. They should change. If not for themselves, then to stop the abuse they instill in the people around them.

[liannelara-dracula]

Hi love,

Thanks for asking this so obviously this pertains to the S bros so that’s where I’m sticking w this. Not including Kino bc he’s not really involved in this whole S bride thing anyway.

-Liannelara

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Prompt

Requests are open

Rules

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Who is capable of falling in love with their S bride? (MTL) + how much they value their S bride?

Subaru—He’s very vulnerable and he’s with this woman 24/7 and if she’s nice to him/gives him attention he’s roped in. But would never admit it. It might just be puppy love even but he’d end up liking her weather or not he does anything about it.

Value: he’d value her if she was tolerable and likable in the sense that she didn’t bother him. If she was gentle He’d especially value that. On a scale of 1-10 it’s have to be a 6.

Reiji—this may come as a shock because he is very head strong and a perfectionist but he his capable and we see this in the game routes numerous times. Even if Reiji has a different way of expressing his care or love, when he loves he treats his partner very well. And it takes a while for him to gain feelings but it’s through all the trouble and pain that he’s caused you but it’s mostly through getting to know you emotionally that he is able to love. But feels quiet guilty.

Value: 8 or 9/10, if you bare his kids, your a respectable lady and you got it all down he’s appreciative that you’ve brought his kids into the world but what doesn’t give you 10/10 is that he’d doesn’t value nor care for you as a partner. He may see you as his wife and mother of his child but not as a romantic partner. If you don’t have redeeming qualities you are just worthless to him. 3/10 or lower.

Shu—gosh, he seems like he could but also might not. Either way he’s lazy about it. In the game routes he is seen to fall in love sometimes but I think it’s quiet dry. There’s not much to it and he doesn’t seem all that into it. He’s just there and it’s comfortable to him. I would say it’s a practical convient love not a deep love unlike Reiji.

Value: 5/10 not too bad because it’s free s3x. He is annoyed but also amused at the same time. Not interested to know much and doesn’t know half of what you do bc he’s doesn’t care. If you don’t bug him often you get the 5/10 you won’t get more because he wants little do with you and since your not annoying there’s a flip side to it.

Kanato—he loves women, and that can mean many different things. But as deranged he may be he isn’t as complicated as his other two brothers, well may be just as complicated—but differently! Though if it’s about love this changed his behavior and he may drop the psychotic behavior altogether especially if there was character development but it’s hard to say. But he seems like he’d have feelings even if they are not the healthiest, he’s more capable of loving and liking than the other two.

Value: you could have 0/10 where he’s just going to m*rder you. Or you could have 11/10 were he is opposed and will not give you to others and protects you at all costs. There is no inbetween.

Laito—he’s to damaged to be capable of understanding his feelings. So while he may feel something he can’t distinguish it nor how he feels about it. All he knows is that it’s different and he’s not going to go further than that. I also believe he has a lot of trust issues with women so loving one is just not practical needless to say he’s a damn mess.

Value: 3/10 if not 0/10. You are like every other woman, why should you be different? Amuse him but also don’t get involved and he won’t be mad, but it doesn’t mean he likes not trust you at all so 3/10. You are merely convenience.

Ayato—he doesn’t really love and I got to say if he did he’s not sure what is going on. He’s quiet selfish and might confusion attraction and convince as love. In fact, he thinks that his S bride loves him so therefore he has a mutal feeling of love for her. He’s okay with having her love him but not that he loves her. He’s too narcissistic to fall in love.

Value: 3/10 or 7/10. 3 is your stubborn and boring to him and you’ve given him nothing. 7 is you give him what he wants and are obedient for the most part.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

˗ˏˋ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ˎˊ˗ ©𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔~Present

[family-tree-of-ships]

So, I’ve been thinking.

Buck has some seriously bad taste in girlfriends over the course of these glorious 6 seasons, before he decides to see if the other side can bring some light in. I mean, all of the women he has seriously dated had some strong likable qualities to them and they all wanted what’s best for Buck (I’m trying at my own share of optimism here). I think, from all of them, Abby was his most successful one (before it obviously crashed and burned and shattered his big wonderful heart). It had something none of the other ones had. Acceptance and honesty. Abby accepted his job, listened when Buck was caught up into his head about the stresses of the job. Buck accepted her problems with her mother and helped her through while she was alive and for a good time after she passed. Buck was honest with her, as she was with him. They had been through their fair share of trials and tribulations. Up until she left for Europe, I honestly liked them together.

Once they’re officially over, all the other relationships he has either miss one or the other.

Ali couldn’t get over the dangers Buck was open to while on the job.

Taylor fully accepted his job, even was honest and genuine with him at some point. Buck didn’t reciprocate either. He couldn’t get over her intense ambition for every new story she could use to her benefit (to which she obtained by breaching his trust, both when they first met and when they were well into their relationship). He wasn’t open with her, again, in many circumstances. Even cheated on her with Lucy, for whom he didn’t have any sort of feelings other than attraction. When you get drunk, the truth comes out. There’s no devil, just a complete lack of self-restraint. If Buck truly loved her, which we know he didn’t, since her answer to her confession was literally “Good.”, getting drunk should’ve confirmed his affections, not completely contradict them. Buck, seems like an affectionate and happy drunk, since that’s who he is. If he loved Taylor, we should’ve gotten a sequence in which he calls her and starts spitting dramatic declarations or even comes home to her because when you love someone, they’re your home. Your instinct is to go them, not kiss the next person you see. Then, he lies, once he gets to his apartment, after this ‘mistake’. And asks her to move in. Because he got nervous. He couldn’t be honest with her. When they found out, they brushed it off quickly, never to be mentioned again. As if they wore both scared. They break it off, eventually, after a story that should’ve remained private made the headlines. It was an important breach in trust, but it shouldn’t have been enough for Buck, considering how loyal he is (just look at how much he waited for Abby). But it didn’t need to be too much, since there wasn’t anything too significant or tethering between them to begin with.

Natalia was fascinated by his death, which was an instant message that this wasn’t going to last in any way, shape or form. Buck is also dishonest with her, about Lucy and his history with her, again. We can understand this, it shines a bad light on him if he confesses he has cheated before, but didn’t he say she sees him? Shouldn’t that bring out at least some kind of easiness into ending up saying the truth? Apparently not.

We can see why the majority dislike Buck’s choices in the women he dates long-term. Ali and Natalia never get fleshed out. Abby and Taylor do and you, as a watcher, can even sympathize with them, but they both end up really hurting Buck. So, what can you do? Settle for what the show gives you? Fandoms don’t do that, especially when they aren’t satisfied.

Okay, so who reaches those two requirements and is constantly present in Buck’s life, who is properly fleshed out? You guessed it.

Drumrolls, please.

Eddie.

Do we even have to talk about acceptance? Come on.

Eddie has been here since season 2. Through a near death experience, then another one, then a lawsuit and then another one (there’s a lot, enough to fill a whole card-based game). Buck has also had to suffer through two of those near-death meetings with Death that Eddie has had. They’ve fully had each other’s backs within the first 48 hours of meeting one another. Honesty between them is natural and that is expressed in a lot of scenes. To list a few, we have Eddie having panic attacks when he thinks of committing to Ana. He goes and talks about it with Buck and Bobby and then breaks it off with her. Secondly, when Eddie finds about the fates of his army friends and destroys his bedroom through a fit of rage brought on by helplessness and fear. A very vulnerable state to be in (let’s be honest, how many damn people have seen Eddie cry his eyes out?). Buck goes in, listens to him, gives him advice and we later see them both patching up his wrecked bedroom walls. Thirdly, we have Buck going to his house to get some reprieve from the constant worry his friends have for him, knowing that he won’t be pushed here, but comfortably accompanied. He falls asleep immediately (let’s ignore couch theory before I go bonkers). That’s both of them expressing vulnerability and raw honesty. More than they’ve done with any lover, no matter how fleshed out.

There’s clearly an answer here. We’re going to wait until they find it.

[halfetirosie]

For the character meme: How about Eiden?

Here we fuckin go, it's Protag-Appreciation Time!

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ Eiden ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

First impression

Relatable King! So damn likable!!! I wanna be best friends with him!!!!!!

Take notes, game developers everywhere! THIS is how you create a relatable character that’s actually interesting and doesn’t have as little personality as an unsalted Saltine cracker!

Impression now

PROTECT THIS MAN!!! He is so silly and so precious!!! ♡♡♡

The more I learn about Eiden, the more I like him! It will never NOT be funny how many different part-time jobs he’s had, it will never NOT be funny how horny he is 24/7 (literally me). I also greatly appreciate how creative/artistic he is, from his music-writing skills, “toy” design, and even clothing design! What the hell, he’s so talented! Blessed by the gods! I’m jealous!!!

Favorite moment

Can an entire event count as a “moment?” I love how in the Rainy Season event, Eiden gets to actually fully converse with Topper and Father!

Also, during this same event, you know that part when Eiden goes into Rei’s memory? This little exchange lives in my memory rent-free:

It’s short, it’s sweet, it’s sad, and it hits me right in the heart.

Idea for a story

I mentioned this in my Edmond post, but I have an Eiden/Edmond fic planned for sometime in the future! In the fic, Edmond will accidentally gain an animal companion. The fic will be told from Eiden perspective, as he watches Edmond grow his relationship with his little friend. I haven’t decided if it will include any NSFW elements, but if it does, the animal friend may or may not encourage Edmond to spend quality time with his “mate.” :)

Unpopular opinion

This might be more of an unpopular headcanon than an unpopular opinion, but I refuse to believe the theory that Eiden is a fragment of Huey (and that Rin is the other half). Absolutely not!!!!

If I’m being honest, this is moreso just wishful thinking/heavy denial on my part. The support for that theory is, objectively, fairly promising so far. But unless it’s explicitly spelled out for us, I vehemently refuse to believe it.

Why, you ask? Because I am a proud member of the Huey Haters Club!!!! Fuck Huey, all my homies hate Huey!!!!! But I like Eiden, so I do not want him to be directly associated with the original Huey’s literal soul. Being Huey descendant is fine, or maybe even an alternate version of Huey from the Earth dimension (à la NU World), but NOT Klein’s original Huey!!! Please, I am begging and praying!!!!!

Favorite relationship

His relationship with Edmond, because I’m predictable! 

Favorite headcanon

Eiden has a FUCKton of suppressed rage. Like, we have seen angry Eiden at certain parts of the story (especially the early parts, like when he’s meeting Kuya and Dante) and during events. We also know from childhood flashbacks that he was a grumpy and angry kid. However, I think that’s only scratching the surface.

You know how several of the clan members have repressed their sexuality? I think Eiden represses the full extent of his anger. He has dealt with so much shit his entire life, he’s probably boiling with fury, but he’s learned not to express it because it’ll only make things worse for him. So, while he's well-adjusted an mature for the most part, I think there's a big hidden side of him that's itching to FIGHT, y'know?