#and i don't dislike sam but i do find him rather hard to understand

[utilitycaster]

🔥 about each member of the mighty nein (instead of sending you a million separate asks lol)

Fjord - this is actually the only character from all of Critical Role where if someone does not like that character I am immediately done with anything they have to say. Ashton and Vex are my favorites from C3 and C1 respectively but I get not being particularly into what they're doing even if I disagree, but like, if you don't like Fjord you either have no understanding of the idea of characters being defined by their settings and narratives and vice versa and therefore you have no media analysis statements worth hearing; or you made a snap judgement based on like 20 minutes of campaign 2.

Beau - I wish the circlet had gone to Veth; I liked Beau's arc a lot but she started as one of my favorites and was later surpassed by a number of other characters and I think it was in part because I liked her getting things the hard way and also doing more with the Cobalt Soul and Dairon than she ultimately ended up doing.

Caleb - I think I kind of covered it with my post about his trauma recently, namely, I think he's a fantastic character and Liam did a great job and also whenever someone acts like Caleb is objectively correct at all times or should have murdered everyone in the assembly it's a MASSIVE red flag.

Veth - weirdly unpopular in this fandom but I like her more as a halfling. Also, I actually think arcane trickster was a phenomenal fit for Sam mechanically even though he wants more spells and would love to see him do another 1/3rd or half caster.

Jester - I feel I've covered my main one repeatedly (people LOVED to talk about her agency and the second she kissed the wrong person she was suddenly a stupid baby girl who didn't know what was good for her) so I think my other one is that as with all of Laura's characters she is much more fun, especially early on, if you lean into the fact that she does say a lot of shit that makes people really uncomfortable or annoyed instead of trying to turn this into a SHE LOVES SO HARD AND NO ONE LISTENS because both can be true, your love can come out in ways that people are very annoyed by, this is how cats feel all the time actually, and so much of Jester's arc is figuring out how to share this love in a way that other people can appreciate without losing her own personality in the process.

Caduceus - I've also covered this a zillion times but I will say it again, Caduceus deflected so many attempts to check in with him and he does not want to like, fix Molaesmyr, he was not neglected, he was built out to be a character who was more of a low-key support guy and Taliesin did an incredible job with that.

Molly - honestly my unpopular opinion remains that I simply found him very well built and a great concept and also irritating as hell, and the Nein's response to him was valid but the fandom's post-death lionization was very tiresome. I'm genuinely not sure the party could have bonded the way they ultimately did if someone who was throwing around "enthrall" like that were still around.

Kingsley - now, while I don't mind if you dislike Kingsley, acting like Kingsley and Molly are the same character is actually equal to the not liking Fjord thing; that's an instant "this person's interpretations of media are so bad I am blocking so as to not accidentally see anything they have to say."

Yasha - I'm not sure I have any unpopular opinions? I do think she is at times underappreciated but I also think specifically she is, like Caleb, a victim of the terrible and weirdly common fandom idea that the only way to move on from abuse and horror is by killing everyone and everything that hurt you rather than rejecting violence and finding your own path and your own meaning.

Essek - sticking specifically to his role in the Nein, again, I love Essek and he is a member of the party and also he is an NPC and acting deeply offended that he doesn't get the same treatment in terms of comic books or merch or appearances in one-shots is very childish.

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Review: Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

Books, romance and beachy vibes -of course, I wanted this for my summer TBR. I've not read a Jenn McKinlay book before but I had heard that she writes cosy mysteries set in libraries. Although I knew this one didn't feature a mystery, I was still really looking forward to the light fluff that this novel promised.

Recently laid off from her chef's job, Sam is back on Martha's Vineyard where she grew up. Her task for the summer is to watch her 14-year-old half brother while their father and his wife take a long holiday. But Sam's brother Tyler is taking part in a robotics summer scheme at the local library. That's where Sam bumps into Bennett, the handsome interim library director, who she happened to have a rather awkward first encounter with on the boat on her way over. Bennett seems to have his own reasons for spending the summer on the island but can Sam give him another one?

I really didn't like Sam at all. From the very first chapter, she came across as ignorant, self-absorbed and honestly, really quite rude. I know there are probably readers who this wouldn't be a problem for because they pick up romance books for the spice or the chemistry but it was a sticking point for me. It's unfortunate that I did really like Bennett because had I disliked them both, I may have enjoyed it more as I wouldn't have been shouting at him to wake up and see how irritating she was!

The thing is, Sam's entire personality was based around her dyslexia. You couldn't possibly have missed the fact that she was dyslexic. In fact, it has shaped her entire life and everyone who she has ever been in a relationship with has been severely disgusted by the fact that she struggles to read and has left her because of it. But she does have a very high IQ, so let it be known that she is very much not like other girls. No, she is incredibly smart even though she can't read. I sigh heavily.

Oh but she does actually like books! It's just that everyone in her past has treated dyslexia like it's rabies and now she can't bear to even try picking up a book. I really hated how dismissive she was of reading in general and greatly admired Bennett, a librarian and therefore professional bookworm, being patient with her because I certainly never had any.

One thing I did like was the exploration of what dyslexia is, besides finding it hard to read. Sam is also disorganised, neurotic and anxious. The similarities between dyslexia and ADHD were really apparent and I'm not sure I've read a book with either of these represented that has so clearly illustrated how alike they are. I just hated how Sam was a complete victim of her dyslexia. There is no part of this book where she decides that despite her disability, she is going to give herself a reading challenge. She did absolutely nothing to help herself and getting Bennett to read to her really doesn't count as that.

Also, she likes rom-coms but that's embarrassing apparently and she never 'admits' that to anyone. So, yeah there's that.

Summer Reading was sadly full of cringey moments and highly jarring, unrealistic perceptions of dyslexia. There is no way that a woman in her late 20s can have lost multiple partners due to dyslexia. I understand that she may have suffered some bullying throughout her school career but adults do not leave other adults because of that -they simply don't! I also wasn't completely sold on the romance because I just couldn't ever see them together as real people. I did find it an easy read though and I guess that is (kinda) what I wanted!

[tolkien-feels]

Silmblogging: Valaquenta

Apparently I'm liveblogging a lot of things today.

The fun thing about reading the Silm is that when I get to parts dealing with subjects I love, I'm very excited because I love them! But when I get to parts dealing with subjects I don't love, I'm very excited because this means I don't know as much about the subject and might juuuust find new stuff in the text! It's win-win!

Having said that, the Valar..... Are not my favorite subject ever. I mean, I do like them, but to paraphrase Sam, they seem above my likes and dislikes, and I never know how to relate to them? (By which I don't mean they have to be #relatable, I mean "I don't know what attitude to have when reading them")

Sure they're interesting but I know I can't possibly understand them in any meaningful way so I just. Don't think about them much. (Which is unusual because I love themes and the Valar are so important if you want to talk Silm themes!)

Since this IS the Valaquenta I have to mention that my favorite Vala is Mandos and my favorite Valie is Nienna. Shout out to Manwe though - he's not my #1 favorite but I find him very underrated and would like to say he's definitely up there among my faves

Speaking of not understanding the Ainur....... What exactly does it mean for an Ainu to be a spouse or a sibling? I can see that siblings usually have overlapping spheres of influence while spouses complement each other. But like. Is that a metaphor for the benefit of the elves, or do the Ainur have emotional ties to one another that mimic kinship or marriage or friendship?

And on the topic of marriage, I find it fascinating how not only is Ulmo unmarried, but the text remarks that he's very separate from the other Valar. And so is Nienna in a way. That impresses me because in Tolkien, so often being a lone wolf leads to downfall, but lest we be too simplistic about it, we've got undeniable examples showing this isn't an inescapable rule

Given also the contrast between Aule and Melkor, if I had to I'd guess that loneness isn't the problem - pride is and hard-heartedness are. People who isolate themselves in Tolkien's world often do so because they believe themselves above others, which also ties in with the dangers of subcreation, which can so easily turn into a desire to control others and/or the world

So the theory I want to test as I read the Silm this time is: do humility and/or compassion reliably lead to unity, and is unity reliably a good thing? Note I say reliably rather than invariably! I'm looking for a strong trend, not an absolute rule

That's basically it for today. As usual: I'm following the pace set by a friend so who knows when the next silmblog will be

[megacovenimagines]

Male Match up Plz? I'm a pretty shy and introverted girl, I don't like going out much and would rather stay home. I like studying, reading, learning and watching movies. I play violin and like cats, I get anxiety pretty bad if I'm pushed out of my comfort zone or there is too much attention on me. I like kind and patient people and hate arguments. I like being able to help others & take care of people, but I can be a bit of a perfectionist. I get cold easy so I don't like winter but love cocoa!

❣ Your Match is Sam Winchester

Sam is very supportive, patient and understanding with you, he doesn’t rush a relationship with you and will prefer to take things slowly. He will not want you to feel rushed at any point but at the same time he will make his intentions clear to you once he realizes he’s falling for you. 

He won’t want you to wonder if he likes you or if he wants a relationship with you, he’ll lay it out for you and tell you flat out what he wants but at the same time he will let you know that he’s not in a hurry and is happy to move at your pace. He will make sure you are okay and comfortable before taking further steps in the relationship, and early on he will try to make sure that the two of you both want the same things in the future before even pursuing you further. 

He doesn’t mind at all that you are shy and introverted, in fact he actually finds it kind of cute especially if you turn to him when you get shy in public. For example, if you get shy in public and become clingy towards him, but in general he is very understanding and won’t ever tease you for being shy and introverted. If he notices that you are becoming shy or uncomfortable in any situation, he will do what he can to comfort you or take you away from the situation. 

Sam is also very comforting towards you when it comes to your anxiety and is very understanding as well as a great listener when it comes to listening to your thoughts, problems or concerns. He will read up a lot about anxiety and will try to learn about it for he can better help you, he’ll also ask you about your anxiety if you are comfortable talking about it with him. Because he will want to know how he can best help you or what could be possible triggers for you, and if you can explain it or tell him what could help or hurt you, he’s all ears. 

Sam can become overly protective of you because of your anxiety, it makes him rather watchful over you and how people treat you and can be quick to come to your rescue whether it’s protecting you from physical, emotional or mental abuse or teasing. He loves to listen to you play violin if you’re willing to play for him that is but won’t push it if you’re too shy to play for him. He won’t push you to do anything you don’t want to and will rarely push you out of your comfort zone, he himself doesn’t really like to be pushed out of his comfort zone either and is happy being at home spending time with you. 

You both like being there and helping others which make you both pretty attentive to each other, checking in on one another and making sure the other is okay. This keeps the channels of communication wide open between the two of you and makes it easy to notice when something is wrong with the other, he can sense it from a mile away if something is on your mind or bothering you. He is quick to address it as well he won’t like feeling like you are troubled, he’ll make it clear that he is there for you and will straight up ask you if you’re okay, if somethings wrong or if somethings bothering you. It’s best to be honest with him too because he can tell when you are lying or just trying to make him feel better or keep him from worrying about you. 

He is very persistent and will stay with you and keep asking you if you need to talk or if you’re sure you’re okay, and he won’t leave it alone until he gets answers. The two of you also both enjoy learning and reading which gives the two of you a great hobby to share with one another, sharing info and telling each other about interesting books. He is very generous and will go out of his way to do things for you or get things for you that he knows you will like; he can even be a bit romantic at times but can also get a little shy or embarrassed when making romantic gestures with you. 

He’s not shy about telling you how he feels about you and will tell you pretty regularly that he loves you and shows it as well, hugging you, kissing you, kisses on the forehead or the top of your head. He always makes a point of telling you he loves you before he leaves or before you go somewhere, he is very loyal and dedicated to you and does whatever he can to keep you happy and safe. 

While he can be over protective at times even to the point of being controlling it just because he cares about you so much and doesn’t want to lose you, which can make him kind of clingy and hold on to you a little too tightly sometimes. But he always means well for you and will go through anything just to keep you safe.

❣ Headcanons of the Relationship

● Tends to be more of a dog person but that doesn’t mean he hates cats especially if you have a cat, though if you do have a cat, he can seem annoyed with a cat at times if it lays on his clothes, gets cat hair on his stuff or knocks his things over. But he really won’t hate a cat and will play with and pet it or let it lay on his lap.

● Sam is very loving with you and will initiate physical touch with you fairly often especially when he’s trying to comfort you, or if he’s trying to show you that he’s there for you. Touching or holding your hand, rubbing your shoulders or back, pulling you near him to lean against him or pulling you next to him and into a hug.

● He doesn’t argue with you and won’t even raise his voice to you, that doesn’t mean that the two of you won’t have disagreements but generally the two of you have an easy time talking things out and expressing your concerns or worries about an issue. He doesn’t like to argue and prefers to talk and discuss things peacefully and can keep a rather cool head as long as you stay rather calm as well.

● Can become more cuddly and loving towards you during the winter or when he can tell you are cold, often offering you his jacket when the two of you are out or getting you a blanket when the two of you are home. But will flat out hug you more often, sit with you and cuddle up to you more to keep you warm, especially if you like when he does this or you cuddle up to him.

❣ Other Matches

● Castiel

He is very gentle, kind and caring towards you though he may not always understand how you are feeling or what you’re going through. He may not fully understand exactly what you’re going through when you have issues with anxiety, that doesn’t mean he can’t understand but you’ll have to be fairly open with him and explain your feelings to him. He is very comforting and encouraging though no matter what you are going through and is extremely loyal, staying by your side and sticking with you regardless of the situation.

● Gabriel

He is loving and playful though not particularly patient and can use humor at inappropriate times while trying to lighten the mood of a situation, it can seem as though he doesn’t take much seriously and that can make him seem as though he doesn’t care. But he really does care about you but can have a hard time relaxing and genuinely letting down his guard around you, but when he does, he can show a much softer and genuine side. He will become protective over you and can get jealous of you spending to much time with others which can make him act a bit childish at times and has no problems voicing his dislike for certain people.

[orionsangel86]

The only character I really REALLY dislike is Gabriel. And it's entirely the fandom's fault. He's so dark and vengeful in the series. He murders Dean every day for a year for fun. But in fandom everyone makes him the goofy, fun comic relief character. And I just don't see Sam and Dean forgiving him for the aforementioned 100s of murders.

Hmmm... yeah so my opinion on this one is mixed. I think that Gabriel in fanfiction is often inspired by Richard Speight Jr in real life, thanks to him being a hilarious troll at conventions. The tendency is to make the trickster much more harmless than he actually is in the show. His lessons were horrific acts of torture in some instances after all.

If we look at Gabriel’s episodes though, the writers themselves make him into more of a goofy, fun character as the series progresses.There was always a sense of humour to his role even though he was dark and vengeful. It was dark and vengeful humour.

In Tall Tales he messes with the boys through pranks and really messes with his victims in rather hilarious ways... he was a classic trickster. In Changing Channels it was all about ‘playing your roles’ but he still had that sense of humour to him. In Hammer of the Gods he was much more serious, but there was still a sense of fun about him with the porno message and what not. “you are a big bag of dicks” is one of the best things a character has ever said to Lucifer. (next to “Hey Assbutt” of course).

Then in Metafiction he was the heroic older brother giving Cas guidance and support. There was a level of manipulation there as well certainly from Metatron and we don’t know at this point if that was truly Gabriel or just Metatrons version of him. But comparing the Gabriel in Tall Tales with the one in Metafiction, there are huge differences in the character. It might be this that has lead to the current fandom perception of him... so basically blame Robbie Thompson :P

I think the only episode where Gabriel really went too far though is the one you mentioned. Mystery Spot is really dark, but it isn’t Dean who he is torturing. Dean isn’t made aware of, or remembers any of those deaths. It’s Sam. This is one of the reasons I don’t think I could ever ship Sabriel, because Gabriel did intentionally torture Sam for a year and I just never saw any chemistry between them past Sam’s obsession to kill him at the end. I haven’t got anything against the ship though, and I know a lot of people do ship it alongside destiel which is totally fine. Its just not my preference that’s all.

I do sometimes find that the Gabriel in fanfiction is too much for me, he becomes a caricature of the in-show character much the same way that Cas becomes effeminate and skinny (though I have no idea where THAT came from as it is basically as far away from canon as you can get) and Charlie becomes a squealing fangirl over her best friends love life, which I just don’t see. 

I think if done well, and the forgiveness is developed slowly and the struggles to accept him are explored, then it can work. I think the Winchesters relationship with Gabriel would be more in line with their relationship with Crowley to be honest. They wouldn’t necessarily be thrilled to have him around but would begrudgingly work with him if they had too. I can’t see him becoming an honorary family member anytime soon (if he did come back). I don’t dislike Gabriel, and when done well in fanfic I enjoy his character. I like canon Gabriel because he is so dark and full of pain. I prefer that side of him to the jokey humour fun side. (I can’t get behind the idea that he would play pranks on Dean and Cas to set them up with each other - I doubt he would meddle in their love lives in canon... but it is a trope in fanfic that I still read religiously and enjoy, even if I find it unbelievable.) 

Each to their own in the end. Like with Meg, Gabriel is a character who has done some pretty unforgivable things, but yeah I get where you are coming from. Sometimes fandom can go overboard. Though the one exception to this in all instances is Scout’s comics. Her Gabriel is brilliant, but then her work is all based in humour anyway so you can kinda understand why she takes that approach to Gabriel. For me, in canon, he was always more likeable when he was giving his lessons, dishing out the hard truths and forcing the characters to think about their choices... he was the Metatron of the early seasons (but more likeable in general) and for that, I will always have a fondness of the character.

[utilitycaster]

I saw your post about Bor'Dor and people wondering if there's a Twist of some kind and you mentioned Veth being one of the least popular characters for CR in passing. I think you talked about it elsewhere as well, and I had recently realized *why* I never really gave her a lot of thought. Because on paper she should be one of my favourite characters that I relate to the most--I read her comic and had a moment of "oh, I should really go back and reevaluate this character because damn". I took some time to think about it and I realized that, for me at least, the reason I never really gave her a lot of thought was kind of because of Sam, or at least the way he plays at the table. I find his antics distracting at best and grating at worst. I still mute his section of the ads whenever I watch because something about his energy just doesn't vibe with me. And like, I do love the moments where he does get serious and has a really good dramatic scene, but then a few minutes later he does something that takes me out of it again. This is of course, something that's a me thing, not a him thing. I'm fully aware of the fact that it's his game and he gets to play however he wants. Hell, if the others had an issue with it, they wouldn't have played with him in the first place. So I fully understand that it's just my own personal preferences regarding the type of humour and energy I respond to. But it is something I noticed after giving it some thought. I have hope with the Mighty Nein animated series I'll get to enjoy Veth's story a little more, since that was what happened with Scanlan (I went back to watch campaign 1 after watching LOVM, and I am having a hard time getting past the stark differences). So yeah, that's kind of the reason I never connected with Veth as much as I probably should have. I don't know if other people have the same views, but I'd be interested to hear why you think other don't like Veth (or at least don't respond to her as much as they do the other characters/players).

Anon, I am...not sure why you sent this. It feels like it really misses my point, and it's not something I can address. I've brought this up before but like, I don't always connect with the themes Sam tends to engage with, but I feel that when I've criticized his characters on other bases someone always brings up how they don't vibe with his sense of humor and like, cannot relate, can never relate, I actively enjoy the ASMR ad, and I don't know why I get unrelated Sam criticism - especially about his sense of humor, which is like...not even particularly weird or unusual nor excessive for the table. This is something that really needs to be a post you make on your own blog rather than an anon ask to someone who is getting a little weirded out that this keeps happening.

But I think more importantly my point is not "everyone needs to love Veth". There are plenty of reasons why Veth might not be someone's favorite character, and also it is completely valid to dislike a character based on your pet peeves! If you don't vibe with Veth as a character or Sam as a player, you are not obligated to try to rewire your brain to make it happen. But I do find it incredibly telling that "this character is secretly another race" pops up constantly as a popular theory, and then when a player actually took care and built a character based on that premise with all the implications it entailed, it was a comparatively unpopular choice. My point is "a lot of theories that hinge on there being some Big Twist Reveal really boil down to 'waaaah i think humans are boring and I play a kalashtar so I want someone else to play a kalashtar' without actually engaging in what the narrative would necessarily need to be to support this," and I find that a very, very strong argument against many of those theories as a result.