#because he's really the only one who might actually end up giving us some insight into

[hallowpen]

There are a handful of scenes that I want to discuss...

1) Anil asking for her father's permission (part one)

I actually prefer the English translation of the line, "My life as a princess is somehow like a pretty bird in a fine cage. I shall never let anyone force me to cage up my heart within that imprisonment ever again."

Anil is always clever in the way she can manipulate the feelings of those around her... including her father, who does not wish to see her leave his side.

This scene really sums up the central dilemma Anil has faced in regards to her relationship with Pin. She does not have nearly as much control over her life within the palace, and should she choose to renounce her title to be with the person she loves, she would be forced to leave her entire family behind... which would, in turn, leave her family in disgrace of her actions (in the eyes of royal society).

It's not an easy choice because Anil loves her family dearly, and Pin knows that more than anyone.

Which brings me to this scene:

2) Pin asking for Anil's father's permission

Where Anil's request is bold and almost threatening... Pin's approach is bold in a different way. In a similar vein to how she once pleaded with Princess Patt, Pin begs for his highness's approval in order to protect Anil from the hurt of losing her family. Again, while it may not seem like it, it's actually incredibly brave for someone of Pin's status to appeal for mercy (in the face of breaking from tradition) by challenging those who hold royal authority.

3) Anil asking for her father's permission (part two)

"It might not be acceptable in our society today, but in the future, I truly believe that this kind of love will be widely accepted. Our world will be more open and equal. Whether we are men or women, all of us shall have the freedom to be ourselves, to show our love, and to become whatever it is that we want to be. Most importantly, marriage shall be recognized both socially and legally... regardless of our gender. I truly believe that love is indefinable and it should not be restricted to only between a man and a woman."

The obstacle here has always been social acceptance. Even Anan points out, "Father is not against what Anil is, he only worries about her social status." I spoke about the formalities of renouncing one's title in episode 13... but there would be social consequences as well. Yes, Anil and Pin plan to move to England, but it'd be impossible to erase their choice from the murmurings of Thai royal society. Someone of Anil's status cannot disappear quietly. And should Anil and Pin ever choose to return to Thailand, for whatever reason, their decisions will follow them... most especially in Anil's case, as she would no longer hold any influence OR be welcome in any of her previous social circles.

The best and most realistic outcome for Anil and Pin (and, by extension, their family) to avoid social disgrace, would be for them to remain living together at the palace... a marriage in everything but name.

I can't believe we've come to the end of our TLP journey. I think I have given all the cultural guidance I am capable of giving... and I hope that it lent some insight into the overall narrative being told and the characters involved in it.

Thank you all for giving this series a chance and taking the time to learn about all of the cultural nuances portrayed throughout its sixteen episodes. 💖💖💖

[autumnmobile12]

I've seen more than a few posts by now asking why Horikoshi doesn't just kill Dabi off by now, and frankly I agree with that question. Let's be honest, killing him would be a mercy at this point and in spite of everything he's done, I don't thinking another prolonged coma with sporadic moments of consciousness is a punishment that fits the crime. He killed 30+ people, caused mass destruction, and tried to overturn an entire society.

Giving some crossover insight, Light Yagami probably killed millions with the Death Note, and I don't think even he would deserve the fate Dabi got. His poetic justice was he was an arrogant psychopath who died a pathetic death in a warehouse. The vampires of Castlevania Netflix have killed and tortured millions of people over the centuries they've been alive and out of all of them, I think only Erzsébet Báthory might deserve that fate, and that's only because she's ascended to goddess status and may be unkillable at this point and eternal imprisonment might be the only option.

So why doesn't Horikoshi kill Dabi off already?

Well....Horikoshi does have a problem with killing off characters unless its for shock value. There's no reason Nighteye, Magne, or Midnight had to die other than shock value. Most other characters that are killed off are barely in the series long enough to consider them a noteworthy death.

You could argue that Magne's death was to show that Overhaul was a new villain that meant business, but given the fact Overhaul doesn't kill or maim any other character the same way unless it's one of his nameless henchmen, his power doesn't prove to be that much of a threat to the main cast.

When Midnight reacted to Majestic's death, I legitimately asked, "Who?"

Endeavor confronts Dabi about killing Snatch and even Dabi asks, "Who?" (Also, why? Did Endeavor even know Snatch? Why bring that up?)

Why did Star have to die? To showcase how strong an opponent AFO/Shigaraki was? Uh, we already knew that...? To show why no other nations were getting involved in the fighting in Japan? A simple doomsday message from multiple nations that says, 'You're on your own,' would have sufficed. AFO could have been blackmailing world leaders into staying out of it. There could have been an international conspiracy of corrupt leaders who were in on it. They could have been having the same issue with mass prison breaks and couldn't help out. There was no need to invent a whole new character for any of that, so her death was a waste.

Arguably, Twice is the only character I can think of at the moment whose death was plot relevant. Realistically, how else was that fight going to go down? He and Hawks spend the entire battle in a weird standoff?

So either Dabi's current state is the result of creator cruelty or:

In the last couple chapters we have left, we're going to find out Eri's Quirk is not as damaged as everyone thought it was and she comes in clutch to save everyone. It's a cop-out ending, but I tentatively think this one might actually happen yet, mostly because it would neatly fix Bakugou's destroyed hand and some of the other characters who were maimed in Final War to the point their Quirks are barely usable.

Dr. Garaki cuts a deal where he biologically engineers a solution that saves everyone in exchange for a reduced sentence. Also a legit possibility. Would not be shocked if President Hawks visits the guy in prison and says, "Listen, a lot of people got really messed up in that last fight, so we've got a proposition for you." Saving both heroes and ensuring the villains actually live out a life sentence.

That unknown figure wandering around the wasteland does prove to be Shigaraki and he's got some unknown Quirk from AFO that could potentially save his comrades and we're headed for a Harry Potter Musical 'It's Not Over Yet' twist ending.

If the rumors about My Hero getting a sequel series are true, Horikoshi may be keeping Dabi around in case he has a use for him there. I don't know how that would even be possible, but I do admit the possibility of this conversation does make me laugh a little:

Pro Shouto: The plan couldn't have gone more wrong. Deku was in the wrong place. Bakugou was being Bakugou. Yaoyorozu had a relapse in nervousness and just created those weird dolls of hers instead of the materials we actually needed. The whole thing made the civilians laugh though. Not mean laughter, they were entertained and that's important, but if we were still in school, Aizawa would have expelled us all for sure.

Dabi: ...as much I just love our bi-weekly challenge of how long we can keep a conversation going before that heart monitor goes off and they put me back to sleep, do I have to listen to you bitch about work?

Pro Shouto: You said you wanted to hear about the outside world.

Dabi: Yeah, the fucking weather and shit.

Pro Shouto: You want a full forecast or--

Dabi: Don't make me come down there.

...

Realistically, none of those four scenarios are gonna happen, but the sequel rumors are preventing me from discounting them outright.

I would say there's no point in having that last minute 'everyone is saved' because that's it, that's the end, but then I remember Zuko's last line in Avatar is, "Where is my mother?" and opened up that whole subplot for the graphic novels.

So I don't know anymore.

[bethanydelleman]

i wanted to let you know i really appreciate your analyses of austen, there have been many times when an insight of yours helped me gain a new appreciation of the books. if it's OK there's one point on which i wanted to disagree with you though (if your blog isn't the space for that then pls delete this ask!) - i don't think the narrator of persuasion completely and explicitly sides with lady russell over wentworth 8 years ago (or vice versa). yes, anne tells him she was right to accept her advice, but that's not so much a defense of lady russell as it is an acknowledgement of anne's arc in no longer doubting herself and regretting her past actions, is it? after all, the book says "There was nothing less for Lady Russell to do, than to admit that she had been pretty completely wrong" with respect to wentworth (and mr elliot).

moreover, i'm surprised that not as many people on tumblr (or maybe i'm just not in the right circles) acknowledge the fact that lady russell somewhat projects the image of anne's mother onto her (because i used to see this all the time on JA forums and ancient ao3 comments sections lol); she says to anne: "You are your mother’s self in countenance and disposition; and if I might be allowed to fancy you such as she was, in situation and name, and home, presiding and blessing in the same spot, and only superior to her in being more highly valued!" i think this is a very touching and understandable sentiment (and would it be wrong for me to insert a more modern reading, that lady russell might've had feelings beyond friendship for lady elliot? 😏) but ultimately erroneous because anne is not her mother, and i believe this is where some of lady russell's more irrational objections to wentworth come from: perhaps that he is too manly and wild for the delicate flower that is anne (in her view), but in actuality anne totally wants to hitch a ride on that ship lmfao. this, too, is a very common and realistic conflict between a daughter and her mother-figure i think, and it does a disservice to the text to pretend that lady russell's objections were completely prudent - anne was persuaded for prudent reasons, being the self-possessed young woman she was, but lady russell had other, more shallow reasons in mind, as well!

austen spends a paragraph giving her well-deserved praise, "but she had prejudices on the side of ancestry" and "a value for rank and consequence, which blinded her a little to the faults of those who possessed them." this snobbery is also very understandable for a woman of her time and station imo, but we see the dangerous consequences of it later in the novel - she criticizes benwick for getting engaged to louisa before his mourning period for fanny is up, but at the same time impatiently says mr elliot should hurry up and propose to anne so she can become lady elliot already even though it's only been 7 months since his wife died.

maybe i also think people take wentworth's apologetic self-criticism at the end of the novel too seriously; he says his pride had prevented him from proposing again to anne 6 years ago after he made some of his fortune, but isn't this yet another example of the "hindsight is 20/20" phenomenon that permeates this book? think of how unreasonable and disrespectful it would've been for him to propose again to a woman who had firmly rejected him, with no renewed communication from her showing that she's interested. would he not be another mr. collins? he knows now that anne was not indifferent, that she truly believed her own prudent reasons for rejecting him and wasn't merely turning him down on the whims of lady russell, but he had no reason to suppose it then. i see people compare him negatively to mr darcy, who proposed again within a year of his first rejection whereas wentworth waited 8 - but mr darcy was given a very strong reason to hope that elizabeth now liked him thanks to lady catherine telling him that miss bennet refused to not potentially marry him. this would've been unthinkable for the elizabeth from some months ago, who had rejected his proposal so soundly! wentworth had no such evidence of anne being ready and willing to accept him now. i think his apology at the end of the novel is to show that he, at his core, is not really a grudge-bearing man and that he is more than willing to humble himself for the happiness of his loved one, just as anne is, further confirming that their temperaments are well-suited to each other - nothing more and nothing less. they're the words of a man now engaged to the love of his life, who wishes they'd had even more time together.

thanks in advance if you humored me and answered this long ask, and feel free to delete it if you'd rather not! 😁

I accept all critiques, whether I agree with them or not is another matter.

I disagree that Anne firmly rejected Wentworth and that her situation would be at all comparable to Elizabeth/Darcy or Elizabeth/Collins. She agreed to the engagement first, then was persuaded to break it off, which he knew, at which point she probably also told him that it was for his own good:

Had she not imagined herself consulting his good, even more than her own, she could hardly have given him up. The belief of being prudent, and self-denying, principally for his advantage, was her chief consolation, under the misery of a parting, a final parting; and every consolation was required, for she had to encounter all the additional pain of opinions, on his side, totally unconvinced and unbending, and of his feeling himself ill used by so forced a relinquishment. He had left the country in consequence.

So it wouldn't have been unreasonable for him to propose again, he knew she loved him. He resented her for giving him up and thought it showed she was weak:

He had not forgiven Anne Elliot. She had used him ill, deserted and disappointed him; and worse, she had shewn a feebleness of character in doing so, which his own decided, confident temper could not endure. She had given him up to oblige others. It had been the effect of over-persuasion. It had been weakness and timidity.

That is most definitely a grudge. Now eight years in the future, he doesn't know her feelings, but in Year 6 he had a pretty good idea. Also, I don't think Anne could write to him, he would have to have written to her (by the rules).

Now to Lady Russell, the full quote:

The only one among them, whose opposition of feeling could excite any serious anxiety was Lady Russell. Anne knew that Lady Russell must be suffering some pain in understanding and relinquishing Mr Elliot, and be making some struggles to become truly acquainted with, and do justice to Captain Wentworth. This however was what Lady Russell had now to do. She must learn to feel that she had been mistaken with regard to both; that she had been unfairly influenced by appearances in each; that because Captain Wentworth’s manners had not suited her own ideas, she had been too quick in suspecting them to indicate a character of dangerous impetuosity; and that because Mr Elliot’s manners had precisely pleased her in their propriety and correctness, their general politeness and suavity, she had been too quick in receiving them as the certain result of the most correct opinions and well-regulated mind. There was nothing less for Lady Russell to do, than to admit that she had been pretty completely wrong, and to take up a new set of opinions and of hopes.

Lady Russell was deceived in Mr. Elliot (and she should have known! they heard bad things about him before), but with Captain Wentworth, I think it's that hindsight is 20/20 thing. He turned out well. He could have been a Willoughby, she didn't know. It's hard not to see this decision in the light of Austen's other novels and agree that they just didn't know enough about Wentworth at the time. Also, Mr. Elliot was a bit blinding in that what he offered was exactly what Lady Russell thought that Anne rightly deserved.

Lady Russell's reasoning was prejudiced in favour of rank, she's kind of like Emma Woodhouse. Elizabeth Bennet also does a cognitive dissonance thing with someone she likes like Benwick/Mr. Elliot (forgives Wickham for clearly being mercenary about Miss King). But even with her prejudices, she was acting in what she thought was Anne's best interest. So I personally think she's not a bad person or wrong for what she did. I don't think we have a full book about how uncertain the lives of sailors can be for us not to sympathize with Lady Russell a bit. Even those last lines:

His profession was all that could ever make her friends wish that tenderness less, the dread of a future war all that could dim her sunshine. She gloried in being a sailor’s wife, but she must pay the tax of quick alarm for belonging to that profession which is, if possible, more distinguished in its domestic virtues than in its national importance.

As for Lady Russell conflating Anne with her mother, that is a valid take, but I think it expands on why Lady Russell tried so hard to keep Anne from entering into an imprudent marriage. Look what happened to Lady Elliot! She was not happily married and Lady Russell would have watched that happen. It's also perfectly natural to want Anne to be finally in a place of honour at Kellynch, given how much Lady R. has seen Anne neglected in that very house.

Anyway, I come off as pretty pro-Lady Russell because she gets a ton of shade online and I usually post against what I usually read.

Thanks for the discussion! Feel free to reply or send me an ask again. I will always give the compliment of rational opposition if it is extended to me.

[papyriasks]

Papyrus & Sans Character descriptions!

I thought it would be cool to write some descriptions on how I characterise the boys and their alternate versions since I'm doing an ask blog for them, to give a little bit more insight on their personalities :]

If you like my characterisations of them, know that my asks are currently open!

☆☆☆

Swapfell Papyrus (Cash):  laid back and goofy, has a dangerous edge to him however. He's materialistic all the way, money rules the world especially in his underground, theres a lot of things you can get this man to do for $20... Also very much the trouble maker and that includes the law, little to no respect for authority, fuck 12. He's a man the deeply believes in earning respect rather then something that is inherently given. Somewhat of a klepto, above ground he attempts to be a little more graceful with the five finger discount after a few scoldings but there's always a certain itch he just has to scratch... Actually very fashion forward, he's always in that drip. Does IT for work and likes coding little games and listens to darktrap and funk mostly. Enjoys betting and gambling alot along with his brother because they are chronic cheaters lol. Somewhat of a flirt/tease. Sweet chilli is the sauce of choice.

Swapfell sans [Poison]: Brutally honest, nearly never lies. Somewhat eccentric, likes odd and off-putting things, such as taxidermy, you'd have a good chance finding him at one of those oddity festivals. Charismatic but calculating and manipulative, more by lies of omission than direct lying. Big devils advocate, finds a certain thrill in trying to push the right buttons, see what people really think and believe. Hes the kind of guy that expects to the worst from everybody that isnt his brother, its just a matter of when it will come out and as such it takes an extrodinary amount of trust to break down his walls. He is someone that enjoys prompting people to think a little on the deeper or more out of the box ends of things. Enjoys spicy food a lot, will turn his nose up to anything too bland. Is the kind of person to just wander off and do his own thing if he is disinterested in whatever conversation he's in and has little regard for social ques. If he actually likes you, you will be the first person he comes to rant about whatever little thing he has found interesting and is actually a big yapper.

Fellswap Papyrus [Mutt]: cold and guarded, somewhat of a mean sense of humour, quiet unless he likes you, loyal to a fault particularly to his brother. Protective and possessive. Has a more dry sense of humour. Can come off as reserved but it's more that he is very selective with who he chooses to give his time too. Has a sharp tongue when angered or shown disrespect, his name might be Mutt but he's no bark and all teeth. Ever watching. He's the kind of guy who just knows things, things from the niche people you might need to know to hook you up with something or that small passing by comment you made two weeks ago that you didn't think he was around to hear.. Has a somewhat pessimistic viewpoint on life, and uses the people he cares for deeply as a driving point to keep going. Struggles to let others in despite, perhaps unknowingly, deeply craving to be understood. Actually has a major sweettooth, big fan of anything red Velvet flavoured.

Has a knack for robotics and engineering, will whip together little drones or robots of mass inconvience.  A real softy with his loved ones, very affectionate and gentle but can teeter on possesive at times. Listens to a lot of rap and metal.

Fellswap Sans (Lord): quiet, but plotting. Has a very quick and cunning mind, is the type that leaves you feeling as if you were two steps behind the whole time. Can be easy to anger and thus is the only time he is impulsive in his actions. Enjoys things such as chess and other strategy based games and activities. Can be seen as very cruel but unbelievably soft to the people he loves but will only ever display that side in private. Fears intimacy however, afraid that he could not be gentle enough with them and end up hurting them. Ambitious,. Enjoys reality Tv and watches them often. Definitely a bit of a shit stirrer, will pretend to be uninterested while others gossip but secretly lives for it.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus [Coffee]: very very quiet and reserved at surface level, also comes off as very rude in the sense that if he doesn't know you and you sit near him/stand near him he will actively move away and will avoid you/ignore you but it often comes out of a place of extreme social anxiety but is relatively good at masking this. Loves art as well and uses digital art as an escape. Very very playful and handsy when he likes/trusts you, big gamer, loves small open world indie games like stardew valley and Minecraft & enjoys romance and fluffy movies/stories. Has to be pushed to get to this point but isnt afraid of violence to protect those he cares for in situations where he feels like he has to protect his loved ones. Low self esteem and can get snappy when something he is insecure about is brought up even if it was well intentioned.  Enjoys most sauces but drink of choice is actually a drink (surprisingly) being (unsurprisingly) Coffee.  Listens to a lot of rap & indie. Collects music CDs and cool stickers.

Fellswap Gold Sans [Wine]: gives major CEO energy, always right never wrong vibes too, has a way of making you double guess anything, could convince you the sky is green if he wanted to. insanely protective over his brother but really just wants what's best for him. Huge fan of wine hence the name. enjoys art culture and history and thus often visits art museums and galleries, coffee's #1 fan in terms of his art. Likes to read & watch documentaries, loves to learn. Cunning & cutthroat. This one will happily lie to you and knows all the right words to get you to fold like puddy in his hands. Power hungry as hell as in his world, position was the only thing keeping you safe and by extention his brother safe. Does work as a lawyer and is very passionate about politics but will happily cut the law to get what he wants. Is the type to follow the "You must knows the rules to break them properly" saying.  Ultimately craves security for him and his loved ones, and will do so by any means he knows how.

Underswap Papyrus [Slim]: super laid back and unjudgemental (except for the things that matter). always up to trouble with his schemes and chaos. Practical joker but has a respect for puns. Chemistry dork, do expect to find random potion like concoctions around the house, whether they're explosive or not is always a 50/50 and there's only one way to find out.. Huge sweet tooth, drinks honey but enjoys most sweet things. Can bake a couple things if he feels up to it but is P lazy. Since transferred to vapes instead of Trad monster cigs since coming to the surface as they're sweeter, mango is his favourite, smoking is a thing he does to relax as he struggles with a lot of stress.  Big fan of creative writing but is one of the few things he is kind of shy about. Also into horoscopes and zodiac signs and crystals and that kinda shit. Likes smelly shit like sweet perfumes and incense. Enjoys gaming from time to time as well but not very competitive he just likes sabotaging everyone else lol. Can be a bit awkward at times particularly if he's a bit nervous. Naturally a bit untrusting but usually still friendly unless given a reason otherwise.  

Underswap Sans [Azure]: very energetic and charismatic. Always looks for the best in people but refuses to be ignorant to the bad, is far more perceptive then he lets on. Will never judge someone without first giving them a chance but can be surprisingly harsh and cold to those he believes to be bad people. Despite his golden retriever energy he loves more rebellious shit like motorcycles (which he rides and loves) and metal music. Loves a good puzzle but prefers practical puzzles like escape rooms, obstacle courses and even video games over things like jigsaw puzzles and crosswords. Loves riddles however. Pretends to hate puns because of his brothers dramatic overuse of them however on rare occasions he pops a pun himself from time to time. Always picking up baked treats and little crystals/incense etc for his brother and is naturally very generous towards his friends. At times can push himself a little too far to sort of 'prove himself', is often infantised and can often pressure himself into things in order to prove his competence and sense of independence.

Underfell Papyrus [Boss]: Stern and by the book, somewhat self obsessed and ruthlessly ambitious in terms of self improvement, constantly grinding to be stronger, faster, smarter etc. by far the best cook in the house and has a ginormous passion for cooking which he views very much like an art form. Loves upper class dining and enjoys food critiquing.  Also very much enjoys reality TV lol but kitchen nightmares is his favourite. Has a cat named doomfanger who is an asshole who hates everybody. Impatient and irritable with strong boundaries and a large need of personal space however all is mostly a defence mechanism, has a rocky but very close and unbreakable relationship with his brother that they are working on together as messy as it is between these emotionally stumped brothers. Loves luxury cars and vehicles.

Underfell Sans [Red]: Crass and flirtatious but respective of boundaries. Mean in general but often comes off even more so then he intends as he's got a very mean humour at times paired with being blunt and honestly isnt the most considerate. Struggles with a bit of anxiety himself but it manifests mostly as outbursts and irritability. Big drinker but is mostly getting it underwraps with his brothers support. Enjoys metal music primarily but also enjoys mainstream music but would rather dust before he let someone else know about that. HUGEEEE softy but you will rarely if ever see it, has the thickest stone walls up but all he wants to do is feel safe and be soft with the people he cares about but doesn't know how to go about doing that or the process to get there. Has a mix between a very blunt and a very teasing sense of humour depending on his mood. Likes physics. Enjoys helping people out but you only if you stroke his ego a little first, it makes him feel useful though he'll still pretend to be a dick about it. Very reliable and loyal to those he trusts and will always have your back, huge sweetheart even with his mean edge to his friends and family particularly as he develops emotionally and becomes more intune with his emotions. 

Undertale Papyrus: bubbly and brave, always striving to make the world kinder everyday but still learning to how to set stronger boundaries and not allow himself to be walked over. Despite his big persona he struggles with his self esteem to a degree too though he tried to keep those feelings from his ever perceptive brother Sans whos always right there to cheer him back up. Somewhat oblivious but it mostly comes out of his infectious optimism. Has a natural charm and gentlemanly feel to him, and is a lot more down to earth and calm as he gets comfortable around you as he often amps up his big personality out of need to try and present himself as being more likeable as he struggles with rejection and not feeling needed/wanted. Very hard to not get along with even with those that view him as more annoying due to his persistent kindness. Very patient and slow to anger despite his playful frustrations towards certain household members. The monster mascot. Very sociable and loves getting to know all kinds of people, one of the most considerate and accommodating people you will ever meet and is always very mindful of his friends and family though sometimes can get ahead of himself when particularly passionate about something. Very brave and loves a good challenge and adventure, goes hiking/camping often occasionally with Sans and other friends. Is the type to watch those 'wilderness survival tips' tikoks and is always diy-ing some survival item out of random things he's found in the backyard.

Undertale Sans: Dad energy for sure. Goofy and cheesy ass humour, a huge nerd and lover of all things science but especially drawn towards physics and astronomy which he will nerd out about if he feels comfortable with you. Chronically stressed always worrying about something but especially his friends and family. needs to learn to prioritise himself and his needs from time to time as he often neglects his own health and happiness especially for his brother. Very caring and gentle but trust issues is strong with this one particularly around humans, though a general distrust of humans is pretty much universal in monsters and honestly warranted lmfao. Enjoys lazing around and goofn but always feels burdened by the huge responsibilities on his shoulders and is attempting to develop healthier coping mechanisms around it but it often manifests as escapesism.

[izziessogay]

I really didn't like how arcane ended and I wasn't going to speak on it, but I have to get it out.

personally I relate to Vi, not only as a butch lesbian, but also as an older sister and as someone who is easily taken advantage of at the promise of comfort.

jinx's death shattered me, and trust me I am familiar with tragic character deaths, this is different. she stood for something. she stood for traumatized and mentally ill people, for survivors of abuse, people with bpd and so on, she was flawed throughout the show but she was not villified (imo). they showed her experience as a real human experience that deserves compassion. killing her reinforced the belief that suicide makes suicidal people happy, it doesn't. death isn't happy, nobody was relieved by this sacrifice, and you would know that if you have ever been in a place like that, known someone or even lost someone, because of this shit. my wife deeply related to jinx, the trauma she had, the things she was battling and all that still not making her irredeemably evil. this character is supposed to show that you can struggle and be alone and miserable and that you can get better despite that, that you deserve to get another go at life, no matter your flaws. arcane did that, up until the last act. my only sister is a teenager, who every day battles with things she gets minimal support for, I live far away and often feel helpless. jinx both represents my wife and my sister to me, the people I love most in this world. her ending feels like a huge fuck you, 'haha, you thought there was hope? actually struggling teens should just kill themselves semi heroically, because we don't want to deal with their antics'. even if they are hinting at her surviving none of this changes, they killed her socially still, when she was meant to be with her community, to build herself up again, to find her family (other people have said more eloquent things about all of this, check them out).

I have more issues with the finale, but over all I think that all the story lines needed more time.

I didn't quite get what happened with Mel and what the black rose even was, but I didn't care much about her character, so maybe I missed some things, I think she turned out the best in the end.

Ekko seemed to only have one purpose, which was to save. other than that he didn't get much character development. people are praising him for being the best, but I fear that might be because he's awfully underwritten and doesn't have much about him, other than him saving the main characters. Even his alternate universe escapade didn't give us an insight on him, more on Powder. His power wasn't explained well, especially when he broke the four second mark without any consequences it seems. in general I can't pick out many flaws, which indicates a poorly written character.

I didn't mind astrally insane Victor to be the enemy of all, however Jayce's and his story took up too much of the final act for me. they didn't seem that relevant to me to be the turning axis of everything and as someone who doesn't care much about their ship I didn't get much out of that arc. it felt out of character for a show that had been about systemic oppression and family feuds and classism to have a conclusion of "imperfection is actually beautiful". that seemed redundant, all characters in the show have flaws and redeeming qualities, even someone like silco or ambessa. everybody who likes the show knows "imperfection is beautiful", it didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion for the viewer, even if victor might have had to hear it. ON TOP OF THAT we never actually got explained anything regarding Victor and his descent to evil and how the fuck that happened.

In the end nothing seemed like it had changed, Piltover is still oppressive, the only reason why they work with Zaun now is because they fought a common enemy once. Sevika (my beloved) gets looked down on in the council and as the only Undercity-member it's impossible for her to overturn a vote in Zauns favour. Cait is still a cop, not having changed anything about herself, Vi has nobody besides her, no family. Mel seems unhappy, Ekko is definitely unhappy and in a worse spot than before. I frankly don't care what happened to Jayce and Viktor, but their ending is the only one that would keep me on my toes for more. Which brings me to a hot take, possibly: I think we might have been queerbaited, hear me out. We got lesbians (which I am eternally grateful for), but thes were a thing since early season 1, after season one people started talking about Jayvik, which wasn't supposed to happen originally, but since it brought engagement they made their relationship a bigger part of the story. Possibly also the reason why Vi and Caits relationship seemed rather rushed and inorganic at the end. you can disagree with me on this.

Lastly I have to talk about Vi, a character that I couldn't relate to for most of season two, because it's been a while since I had to deal with situationships and breakups. All that made me overlook what Vi really stands for. She might seem hard and tough, but mostly she is looking for comfort, she loses people close to her constantly and is therefore constantly in search of another safe space. A safe space that is never really provided. Cait doesn't understand her trauma, her upbringing, her culture or her family, and she never bothers to understand it. She never shows remorse to what she did in the undercity, she never questions Piltover (only ambessa, an outsider). She never sees Jinx as someone who deserves redemption, she never sees why Vi is struggling, she never makes an effort to care about her past and her experiences. You might wonder why Vi still is with her, but it's honestly obvious enough, it's because she doesn't have anyone else left. Cait at least loves her for her personality or her looks or whatever, and that's more than anybody else loves her. I hated that they put her back with Cait in Piltover, it seems very abusive to me, considering what we know of Cait (she might be different now, but we never get to see any of that, so I'm assuming freely). Vi will take anything and everything to make herself get some comfort, however toxic that behaviour may be. I see that as the reason why she folds so easily whenever Cait shows interest and forgives immediately. She didn't find well deserved peace in the end with Jinx (and Cait), she got "good enough for now". Nothing was addressed, nothing changed. AND JUST TO CLARIFY I AM HAPPY ABOUT THE LESBIAN REPRESENTATION AND I AM VERY GLAD WE GOT IT, OVERALL I THINK THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS VERY INTERESTING TO WATCH. JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE SHOW I DIDN'T LIKE THE END.

For a show that was about the people, we got horrifyingly little people focused resolutions. The last burial we see was Rictus, but dozens of people die after him. We didn't talk about Isha, we didn't talk about Jinx, Ekko wasnt even allowed to get a word in after he deus ex machina saved everything. Sevika didn't get any conclusion. Mel seems on the same path as her mother. Jayce and Viktor are to my knowledge still astral projecting through space. Cait never learned compassion with Zaunites. Vander couldn't be saved. An unsatisfying end.

Tldr:

- Jinx's death was bad, mentally ill people should be saved and their illness shouldn't be glorified over them

- none of the story lines seem finished and rushed to an end

- Viktor and Jayce's story felt overpowering and took away from a story about oppression and sisterhood

- in the end nothing changed

- my butch dyke/older sister heart that can be manipulated quite easily too hurts for Vi

- I didn't like it 🍅🍅🍅

[therainscene]

There’s a genre of anti-Byler argument that I like to call But It Was The 80s.

I’m sure you’re familiar with it: Will getting his heart broken would be good rep actually, because that’s just what it was like in the 80s; Mike being queer too would be unrealistic, because there weren’t that many gay people back then; and did queers ever really experience joy prior to 2015 anyway?

...But I think it’s worth taking a look at what the show is trying to tell us about being queer in the 80s. Stories, especially ones with fantastical elements such as monsters and superpowers, aren’t obligated to be perfectly realistic so long as they resonate with our experiences.

So how does Stranger Things resonate with queerness?

Every season so far has given us an iconic moment in which a character tries to stand up to a monster and is horribly punished for it:

In S1, Will loads a gun and faces the Demogorgon in self-defense... but he can’t fight it and gets dragged into the Upside Down.

In S2, Will takes Bob’s advice to tell the Mind Flayer to go away... but it gives zero fucks and consumes him anyway.

In S3, a small act of compassion from El inspires Billy to betray the Mind Flayer... but he’s immediately killed for trying.

In S4, Eddie decides that he’s done with running, so he distracts the bats to buy his friends more time... and succeeds! But at the cost of his own life. A waste, given that his friends’ plan to kill Vecna didn’t even work.

The show even brings this (lack of) progression full circle by paralleling Will and Eddie’s disappearances:

If we read the monsters as metaphors for the overwhelming force of bigotry and conformity in the 80s, it seems as though the show is telling us that there’s no point in trying to fight back, because it will crush you back down every time.

Indeed, we see a more literal but subtle version of this message play out in S3′s rain fight -- Will tries to call Mike out on losing himself to comphet, but Mike defensively lashes out at him, (unintentionally) reminding Will that he doesn’t have the right to question heteronormativity. Devastated that not even his plan to be Best Friends Forever with Mike was an acceptable compromise, Will takes that reminder to heart.

This definitely resonates with what it felt like to be a queer adolescent in the 80s... (and 90s... and 00s...) but it’s an awfully bleak message. Is that really the story Stranger Things is trying to tell?

The rain fight is the lowest moment in Will’s arc -- it’s only uphill for him from here.

In S4, he repairs his friendship with Mike and accepts that this is the best he can hope for, which is exactly the sort of bittersweet note a bleak story about the reality of being gay in the 80s might end on... if Will didn’t have a whole season’s worth of uphill journey left to do.

Let’s take another look at those iconic monster-facing moments. Was there really a lack of progression there, or were they, too, building up to something?

In S1, Jonathan and Joyce aren’t home and the phone isn’t working, forcing Will to face the Demogorgon by himself.

In S2, Will is emboldened by advice from an ally... but that ally, though well-meaning, has no idea what he’s talking about, and isn’t there by Will’s side when the time comes to actually face the monster.

In S3, El’s act of compassion is too little too late, and Billy doesn’t have time to fix his mistakes and team up with the party.

In S4, Eddie ignores Dustin’s demands to regroup with him, and faces the bats alone. The rest of the party are working as a team to fight Vecna... but interestingly, Will isn’t there to help them form a plan.

The problem isn’t that the monster is undefeatable -- it just can’t be defeated by any one person, nor can it be defeated without the guidance of its victims who understand it better than anyone else.

Yes, in S4 they have Max, who provides some helpful insight, but this is her first time dealing with Vecna -- she doesn’t have the level of experience that Will does. Compare to S1, when Joyce reaches out to Will through the lights for advice on how to rescue him -- he provides a little insight, but ultimately, Joyce doesn’t get the information she needs until she teams up with someone with lived experience.

This principle isn’t unique to queerness, of course, but it certainly resonates strongly with queerness.

The 80s may have been a godawful time to be gay, but it’s hardly as though gay pride didn’t exist. The progress that we’ve made since then was only possible because the LGBTQ+ community banded together and fought for their rights -- in the 80s.

And that’s the deeply homophobic core of But It Was The 80s as an argument: that queers shouldn’t remember the work done by our elders or be inspired to do the same, but instead swallow the lie that cishet society benevolently decided on its own to stop being homophobic. That we should be thankful for what scraps they’ve granted us, and wait patiently in the closet for them to grant us more.

Where Will finds himself at the end of S4 -- grateful that at least he’s loved platonically and too beaten down to ask for more -- is precisely where the heteronormative audience expects him to be. His queer arc has satisfactorily resolved itself, as far as they’re concerned, so in S5 he might as well die or become a villain or whatever.

Or, more charitably, he can unlock his powers and be the hero, but only on the condition that it’s strictly a metaphor for coping with trauma and he doesn’t get all gay about it.

But he is absolutely going to get all gay about it.

Will’s story, much like Stranger Things as a whole, isn’t about accepting the bleakness of being an outcast in the 80s -- it’s about staring that bleakness in the face and saying: “Unacceptable. I deserve to be happy on my own terms.”

[celestialudenburn7]

Ngl it's been so long since i last went through Sdra2 properly i had never stopped to think of Emma's character that way? How acting is her life and pretending she's okay is the one way she knows to go about living, itches my brain now, pls ramble more about her I'd listen

Me when I get to talk about my favorite character

Thank you so much for the ask!! 

Tw for mentions of physical abuse

To start off, I think it’s actually best to look at her free time events. 

Of course, the final of these gives the most insight to her character. However, there are other key traits that show up beforehand. 

The first is how Emma doesn’t really have any friends outside of this killing game. She only worked with other adults on sets, and that most likely isolated her from people around her age. In the first free time event, she talks about how she has never talked like this before with another teenager. She’s very used to acting more mature around people, so Sora’s attitude is refreshing for her. At the start of the final free time event, she goes on about how she’s always wanted to do “girl talk”.

Secondly, it shows  Emma’s strange ideas about what a friendship should look like. Unlike other characters, Emma politely asks if she’s allowed to talk to Sora. She apologizes for being a bother, which will come up in later sections.  In her second and third events, Emma accidentally spoils what happens in movies she has starred in. While it is played off comedically, Emma decides to compensate for this by giving Sora copious amounts of money. 

Despite being completely harmless, it gives the impression that she thinks she needs to pay Sora to be friends with her. Since Sora doesn’t know who Emma is outside of the killing game, the only other thing that previous “friends” might have used her for is money. 

I think this also highlights how Emma is a people pleaser. She is so quick to take Sora’s joking request for one MILLION yen seriously, and even asks if that is enough. 

In the fourth free time event, Emma goes into detail about her adoptive parents. However, she refuses to elaborate on anything that occurred before then. 

Finally, the fifth event. This is when Emma completely breaks down, showing Sora her scars; literal and metaphorical.

Emma’s mother was never around, always smoking and drinking her woes away. 

And her father? Her father was a greedy, angry drunk with no self control of himself. Since he couldn’t make a steady income, he forced Emma, a very young girl, to sell things on the street. 

If she didn’t do it?  He burned a cigarette into her arm.

She states that every day she tried to resist, but it only made the burns worse. So in the end, she just did what she was told.

“Because if you don’t listen, the cigarette light is burned.”

“If you cry, the cigarette light is burned.”

“Desperately holding back tears, acting as the daughter who is well behaved.”

“I’ve been living under a mask.”

These are all some quotes from the final free time event, and I think it perfectly explains why Emma acts the way she does. 

Her acting isn’t just a skill, it’s a defense mechanism.

She became so good at pretending she was this perfect, kind hearted girl that it started to blend with her reality. She still is afraid of people hurting her, so she pushes all of her real feelings down. It’s why she’s so scared of opening up to Sora, claiming that she would hate her if she knew.

Emma doesn’t do it just to be nice: she does it to survive. 

In a situation like a killing game, it’s no wonder she was being so “two faced”. 

Because acting keeps her alive…

It keeps her from coming off as vulnerable, and more importantly; people will like her. 

This is the reason why Mikado chose Emma to look after Kokoro. Emma is so good at being friendly, maybe she could lower Kokoro’s guard. 

But, that’s not what happened. In fact, the opposite did. 

I genuinely believe that somewhere deep inside, Emma did care for Kokoro. She was starting to get used to seeing her; eating breakfast together, the one way conversations which soon piqued mutual interest….

Setsuka calls Emma out at the end of the second trial about this, countering when Emma said that Kokoro got on her nerves. 

The most tragic part of her character to me is how she gaslights herself.

She lies to herself about hating Kokoro so she can complete the murder. 

She lies to herself about not caring for the other participants. 

She lies to herself about being prepared to die. 

And it's only in her last moments that the mask finally cracks, revealing someone who is deeply hurt and scared.

----------------------------------------------------------

That’s all I have to say for now, but I might make a part two!! Once again, thank you so much for the ask!! (⁠づ⁠｡⁠◕⁠‿⁠‿⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠づ

[steveharrington]

Have we seen Steve interacting with authority figures? I feel like we must have at some point but I can't think of any... which is maybe why I struggle to imagine what Steve and Hopper/Joyce sharing a scene might look like. I guess there's that scene with Barb's parents?

we HAVENT ‼️ hardly anyways! off the top of my head i’m fairly sure that the only adults we’ve seen steve interact with (and i define interacting by him talking to them directly or vice versa) are barb’s parents like you said, the guys he walked up to cleaning the theater marquee, and the russian general. genuinely cannot think of anyone else. isn’t that so upsetting

i wouldn’t call barb’s parents or the movie marquee guys authority figures per se, but i do think you could kinda categorize ozerov that way. at the very least, he has massive power over steve (literally has him tied up and drugged). i think it’s notable that of these instances where steve is sharing a scene with an adult, he is consistently doing some sort of repentance. cleaning up the marquee, visiting barb’s parents after she died in his backyard, and being beaten for finding the operation (which served as a larger message to steve that once again reminds him he was an Evil Little Boy). we’ve never seen steve interact with an adult to receive comfort or protection—it’s always the opposite, actually. uncomfortable at the very least, literally being tortured at the most.

i think a very underrated moment is steve threatening ozerov by saying that hopper is going to save them. i think it’s sooooo genuinely deeply sad, actually! he so confidently thought hopper (and other adults ie the us calvary) were going to come save him and robin, when actually no one even knew they were down there. if dustin and erica hadn’t saved them, literally no one would have!!!! the same protection that hopper and joyce provide the other kids/teens don’t really extend to steve and robin, which makes sense logically since they’re kinda on the outskirts. they are not their children or close friends of their children. but i think that line is so meaningful and sad because it kinda implies that steve thinks of himself as falling under that umbrella of protection, but he doesn’t :(

that’s not to say that i think hopper is canonically like “fuck steve harrington i don’t care about that kid”, but the writing in st thus far hasn’t really been dynamic enough to give us glimpses into the various ways that All these kids/teens/adults are inherently tied together after going through category 5 monster moments every half a year together. i really hope season 5 remedies that (it sounds and looks like they might?) by giving us these rare interactions between characters who have almost been killed by the exact same Creature several times but have somehow never talked. i also want so badly for someone to acknowledge that steve becomes the de facto adult when joyce and hopper aren’t around (i know mom steve jokes got annoying but they stemmed from his behavior clearly modeling that of a Parent with the kids) and maybe give us insight into how steve views himself….does he feel like an adult? would he view hopper as an authority figure, or would he almost see him as a peer and equal considering they both end up being the meat shields when it comes to fighting people and monsters? i need to know…..

i do think we’ll get at least a crumb of steve and hopper in s5, at least because david harbour and joe keery have both talked about wanting to share scenes and it would be so mean of the writers to just be like no sorry we don’t have time for a 2 second interaction in this 10 hour season LOL but we shall see <3

[aucatgirl]

I'd like to hear your complaints about mha please. I think rei should've rolled her ex husband off a cliff.

SIGH. Here is my official diatribe against MHA’s ending. This is definitely not my first rodeo with a series I love and had hope for having a bad ending but wow this one stings harder than usual

What’s craziest about all this is how much I defended this manga up until the last ten chapters. I loved this manga so much and had such high hopes for it. My own MHA social circle was nothing but huge fans that also had high hopes, some criticisms about things but willing to give the benefit of the doubt… But then 420 happened and I snapped out of it (and then my mutuals also snapped out of it, one by one, lol). It was so rushed and baffling that it actually ruined my day when it released, lmao. Deku regaining his arms via Eri ripping off her horn via child mutilation was only the beginning and I was not prepared for the everything else that would happen

The biggest issue starts and ends with Deku, who apparently got a secret lobotomy during the dark Deku arc and has not been written the same since. He completely loses his ability to be introspective in any capacity. “I’ve been having these thoughts about Tenko too” where?? Where is it??? Where is literally any of your real thoughts on Tenko or losing OFA or anything??? This manga used to have such an interesting insight into Deku’s mind. And it’s just, gone. A big issue with Shigaraki’s death goes back to that. Where’s the reflection?? “Show don’t tell” doesn’t work that well with a protagonist that barely shows any emotion at all!!

When it comes to the saving Shigaraki plot, I saw some mutuals suggest that Horikoshi changed his mind on the ending at some point between the togachako fight and 423. I reread those chapters and disagreed. Deku being unable to save Shigaraki is a plot twist and it’s a BAD one. All of the build up leading to 423 is that Deku would save Shigaraki, not just his soul, full stop. Unless it really was a last minute change or pushed by editors/SJ, I cannot imagine that this ending was not planned the way it was, so I will criticize Horikoshi as such. The twist was ass. And now we’re left with an ending of “well we can try to prevent villains, but if they’re already villains, beat ‘em up!” which is just.. AUGH!!! Completely throws Twice’s death down the drain!!! I can’t believe we were left with “we’ll do better next time” when the whole point was that the next generation would do better than the previous… Deku’s generation was supposed to be that one!! Not to mention that All Might seemingly forgot about his personal connection to Shigaraki…

It’s also wild that the togachako plot was the best written tragedy while also being the most offensive of all of them. I don’t care how many people Toga killed 😭 she was explicitly queer. At least izuocha didn’t happen, that would’ve made things so bad I don’t think I would’ve been able to interact with the series anymore. It was a one-off line but Toga’s death had the most direct impact on improving society, however, it was a ONE-OFF LINE, there is zero indication that Uravity is as prominent of a hero as this line makes you believe, which sucks. Also, the fact that the cameras got retconned is ridiculous, just another knife twist of completely gutting the theme of rehabilitation and societal changes on how people view villains

And… that’s not even mentioning what the fuck happened with 3baka. I understand the rush. Horikoshi has health issues, there are time limits for endings. I would’ve been okay with just the rush. But the writing decisions that were made… why the fuck did Kurogiri die like that?? In the most baffling, inconsequential way possible? Aizawa wasn’t shown, Mic didn’t react, it’s never brought up again except for a tiny, tiny panel of Shirakumo’s grave. I guess the whole plot with nomu and how they’ve slowly been humanized was just completely scrapped, because Kurogiri’s death was more inconsequential than Hood’s. If you’re going to kill Kurogiri, make him die by AFO’s hands. It would’ve worked a lot better as a tragedy rather than random and unnecessary Bakugo moment

This is honest to god one of the worst pages in the entire series:

Finally okay I honestly don’t care for the Todorokis so I don’t really have any strong thoughts on their ending. The ending Dabi got is actually better than I expected after Shigaraki died lol. Though I do agree that Rei pushing around Endeavor in his wheelchair is a hilariously bad look and I don’t know why Horikoshi thought it was a good idea

Here is one thing I will say, though. One final word:

Foster brothers Shigaraki and Kurogiri never got debunked!! Can’t have your theories be wrong if you get no information about a character!

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: Honey Cut by Sierra Simone

5/5. Releases 6/18/24.

vibes: WEAPONIZED LONGING, the perfect angst recipe, the man Lana Del Rey was singing about but much better, We Can't Discuss Our Feelings Because My Feelings Are Hard

Heat Index: 10/10

Isolde Laurence is in a bind (literally, at points). She's about to marry Mark Trevena (the cold, dangerous man who deflowered her and promptly crushed her heart) in an arrangement that will enable her to seduce him and offer his secrets to her uncle, a high-ranking cardinal. However, on her way to do so, she's fallen in love with Mark's romantic, pining bodyguard Tristan. And Tristan--who very much loves her back--is also in love with Mark, thanks to a preexisting whirlwind affair he put a stop to upon finding out about the engagement. Isolde is determined to, if nothing else, guard her heart against her new husband. And, for personal and practical reasons, honor the agreement they made years ago: once they exchange vows, they'll be faithful to each other.

Easier said than done.

But Isolde herself is deadlier than she seems, and in the midst of a thorny triangle, she may end up crushing not only Tristan's heart, but her own... and maybe even Mark's. If he has one.

Well, this was my most-anticipated release of the year, and BY GOD did it live up to expectations. This is an ongoing series (you must read Salt Kiss before starting this one, and in my opinion? You should ABSOLUTELY also read the prequel novella, Salt in the Wound, as it lays the groundwork for Mark and Isolde's relationship) and of course, I don't want to count chickens before they hatch, but... If Sierra pulls the ending off--which I totally believe she will; she's yet to let me down--this could end up being her best series yet. And that is a LOT coming from me, someone who worships at the altar of New Camelot (and Thornchapel, for that matter).

The thing about the way Sierra writes triads--and nobody does it better--is that they all feel unique. You might think that Mark, Isolde, and Tristan would have a lot in common with New Camelot's Ash, Greer, and Embry. They're MMF, they're based on Arthurian myth, these people literally know each other (Sierra: I owe you my life for that cameo). But the dynamic is completely different--and in this installment especially, quite darker. I didn't see Mark's darkness as much in Salt Kiss (Salt in the Wound... perhaps more so, which gives you some insight into the differences between his individual dynamics with Isolde versus Tristan) but here? Um. She portrayed the conflict within him and his ruthlessness perfectly... While also letting us even further into the vulnerability she hinted at in Salt Kiss.

Mark can be a difficult character for readers to humanize, I think, because we haven't had his POV yet. It's easy to sort of dismiss him as this frosty, stern alpha who doles out pain while also dealing with plenty of his own (on the inside, because Mark is clearly very uncomfortable with feeling a feeling). Where she makes it brilliant is through these moments of BOYISHNESS. We got sneak peeks of boyish Mark in Salt Kiss, but here? Oh my god. The grins, the poking at Tristan, the GOOFY HOT FACETIME SEX WITH ISOLDE??? It's so human, and dropping those sneak peeks in makes his pain even more palatable.

And the thing is that you do get that pain. Because Sierra also doesn't shy away from the agony of a love triangle and, yes, cheating in this book. I often find that MMF is used in a sort of like... "Why choose? Heehee it's all okay because everyone wants each other" get out of jail free card. Sierra really doesn't do that ever, but this is the hardest she's gone in on "these people are cheating, and it HURTS the person they're cheating on, and it HURTS them". No punches are pulled here. This is one of the angstiest books I've read, and as an angst hound, I loved every second of it.

The ending? I am going to be in actual PAIN until Bitter Burn (out early next year, SHIT). There was a moment in the last few pages of this book that made me gasp. In part because I really didn't think she'd go there on multiple levels. This is a book of huge swings, and for me, every single one worked.

Quick Takes:

--I have been very vocal about how much the one time Mark called Tristan "puppy" in a cut scene (Beg Me, which you should absolutely read if you can--I think it's on Sierra's website) has not left my head since. Guess what? It's just a regular nickname now. He says it SEVERAL times in this book, in prime moments. And I was extremely happy.

--You can for sure read this series on its own, but I will say that this book in particular "spoils" a good bit of New Camelot. In the same way that any romance in the same universe or series of standalones sort of spoils others, but if you want to read chronologically without any giveaways, you should read that series first. And in general, read it even if you do read Lyonesse first. Because it's gorgeous.

--I can't emphasize enough how happy Isolde and Mark's dirty Facetime calls made me. Like. At the end of the day, Mark is just like any other man with a hot young wife, desperately trying to get a peek over his phone. While someone else peeks, perhaps.

--Isolde's such a fantastic heroine. Broken and devoted to God and maybe lowkey a zealot, while also craving physical and emotional pain and release and Tristan's soft heart and Mark's cold one all at once. She's the kind of heroine we very rarely get to read about in romance. If I'm being honest, I was a little worried about how the dynamics would balance here, as so much of the last book was Mark and Tristan on their own, and then the remainder was Tristan and Isolde on their own. (Which is another reason why you should read Salt in the Wound first, in my opinion.) But God. The dynamic of the three, the dynamic between Mark and Isolde, just blew me away. Two black cats circling each other, Mark perhaps a little more reticent to open up to Isolde than Tristan because he recognizes something of himself in her.

While at the same time, I found that Tristan and Isolde's relationship deepened. I always fully believed in their agonized love for Mark, and their desire to stay loyal to him. Yet I also completely believed that they couldn't possibly stay away from each other, not permanently.

--Mark's backstory? I foresaw some surface level stuff, but not the parts that mattered. Those kind of blew my mind.

The Sex:

I mean, it's Sierra Simone, so it's creative and very much a part of the character development. One of the sex scenes in this book was so... it was really one of the best she's ever written. But also? DEVIOUS. Sierra, you did not have to do us like that. However, I'm glad you did.

There are so many different "flavors" of sex in this book--super kinky, kinda vanilla (or as vanilla as these people can get), happy, angsty, sad, passionate, light, funny.

You can expect, among other things: restraints, impact play, cum play, breeding, biting, public sex (a lot of that), car sex, edging, voyeurism, pain play, cum licking.......... all that shit. And more!

Look, dude. Read this book if you've read the other books. If you haven't read the other books, read those and then read this book. I can't recommend it enough. This is angsty, passionate, heady romance at its best. Hot and emotionally complex and well-written. Sierra's prose! It's what romance should be; she sets the pace, and we all must chase it.

Thanks to Candi Kane PR for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[nerves-nebula]

Sorry to give u a weird Christmas confession but I was thinking about ur art and that got me thinking about my life. And this tends to be where I direct that stuff because your perspective and insight is cool, and also solidarity in this community or something.

I always feel super shitty about the way I treated my younger siblings growing up, because while I wasn’t actively malicious, I remember being a dick needlessly a lot in what was typically misplaced aggression I couldn’t direct at anyone else, or projecting when I saw them doing anything I’d been screamed at or punished for.

But also my mom was super neglectful, so I was taking care of them in a lot of ways I never really thought counted as me taking care of them until more recently. I tend not to remember stuff, so most of what sticks out in my mind has a reason for sticking out.

I wouldn’t remember having had to wake my siblings up for school if I hadn’t written it down offhandedly in the notes of some fic writing I did years back. I wouldn’t remember having made dinner basically everyday if I didn’t feel like a lazy asshole over having been depressed and either putting off making food until way to late, or just throwing a pizza in the oven and telling my brother when to take it out.

Point is, sometimes you mention your sister, and you mention your brother, and I’m so upset that I remember being closer to your brother, because I didn’t protect my siblings from shit.

But lately I’ve been wondering if I might have and I don’t know how to feel about it. I feel like I’m rationalizing to make myself feel better but it doesn’t make me feel better. It makes me feel like I wouldn’t have to reach for stuff I’d done right if I’d actually been good.

I remember little things, like my brother breaking a plate, and me realizing my impulse to yell at him or belittle him over it was stupid, because what would he learn from that? It was an accident. But my parents would have blown up at me in that scenario. It was confusing so I just made sure he didn’t get glass in cuts and while I cleaned up and hid the broken plate at the bottom of the bin, I kept rolling around whether that was unfair or not. I only remember that because it was the first time I’d ever asked myself on a logical, non emotional level, whether my parents were actually being unfair.

My remembering that had nothing to do with helping keep my brother out of trouble, so I have to wonder if there’s more stuff like that that my brain’s just nuked. If there were any significant or consistent moments that I might never remember that could reconstruct my entire self image of what an emotionally repressed mess I was as a child.

I don’t know I guess that idea just stresses me out, and I realize I wouldn’t be happy in either scenario, whether that was or wasn’t happening.

mildly funny to hear my singular blog referred to as a community. not really sure what you mean by that, i'm not a part of many communities as far as i know.

nowwww i don't know your exact situation but i wouldn't worry about it. definitely sounds closer to one of my sisters than my brother.

like, i really can't overstate how bad my brother is. my older brother is a truly malignant force. kinda guy who starts shit for no reason and preys on people just to feel strong. he would not do any of the things you've written about here unless forced to. the best you can expect from him is apathy, or wanting to show you some weird fascist show he likes. he will otherwise go out of his way to harass and annoy and threaten people. he was constantly trying to start fights for seemingly no reason, and i mean physical fights, like he was compulsively violent or something.

i used to have sympathy for him but he's nearly 30 now and that's long dried up on my end. he's an asshole cuz it's what he chooses to be, not cuz anyone was mean to him or cuz he has bad impulses. he's a fascist loser who doesn't even want to try to be kind and that's about it.

anyway point is: what i hate about my brother isn't that he failed me or something. from your writing here it seems highly unlikely that you're anything like him, but that's something i can't solve for you either way. I haven't spoken much about my oldest sister in detail but they were cruel to me in ways that have shaped the majority of my neurosis. and i still don't hate them, because people who try aren't worth hating. you seem like you could be more like them

maybe not personality-wise though. i can't imagine them sending an ask like this to a random stranger haha. but i don't really know them very well anymore, so, who can sayyy. they've got mad memory issues too tho so there's that.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

It's time to add batch number 3 of asks and this concludes my little experiment. Unfortunately, it's not the most conclusive one and the analysis is superficial at best (I wish I had this idea when I was feeling better), but I'll try to write a few words.

First, the asks:

I've observed some common themes throughout all the messages I've received.

I think our opinions regarding the topic of dating and what we think of these idols is obviously influenced/determined by our cultural understandings of relationships, our gender politics and relation to our own gender because we interpret and give meaning to what we see through those frames.

Another interesting result was to see how obvious it is now that our rational arguments are so deeply connected to what is actually an emotional response that on the surface, doesn't contain much logic, but then it ends up being used as a logical argument. I would say that the fuckboy allegations about Jungkook are ilustrative of this and I'll try and explain why. Once again, this shouldn't be seen as me being judgemental or pushing my own position at the front, but merely an exploration of that response.

Calling someone a fuckboy without having any actual insight into his dating history is indeed an ilogical reaction that is not based on facts. I find that most likely comes from disappointment and that it is a label used in opposition to ideas of what people understand as commited relationships and partners. In this particular case, JK hugging a woman turned him into a fuckboy for those who used to believe in jikook as a long-term relationship, while those who were not exactly shippers were influenced by their already formed opinion of JK as more of a superficial person.

It doesn't follow a logical train of thought, as it actually translates into frustration, anger, a difference in morals, etc. It's interesting how such words were not really found in some of the asks.

Someone said that a lot of those who sent their messages tried to rationalize their thoughts anyways, instead of focusing on their feelings. It is true, but it's also something that I expected. We tend to do that, not only for those that get to read, but also for ourselves. There is a constant need to make sense of whatever we see, we look for explanations because not knowing might be worse than the actual outcome.

I'd like to go back a bit to the fuckboy label. Would someone think the same if Jungkook was filmed in his house backhugging a man? How do we know that the woman in question was not a long-term partner? How do we know that Jungkook jumps from partner to partner, without caring about their feelings and uses them for his own gratification? Isn't that what the label implies? My point is, we don't know any of these things and yet it is a simple way for some of us to explain our disdain towards what we see. Perhaps the voyeuristic angle (looking at it through a window from outside) has had a significant contribution to these judgements. Then there is also our own bias and other feelings we might have harbored already.

In opposition to that, Jimin gets a pass a lot more which based on the responses I got, shows the difference in the way he is perceived compared to Jungkook or Tae.

As I've mentioned from the beginning, this is just a small glimpse into how we process and express what we feel in connection to some people that we've formed a parasocial relationship with. Amongst the reasons why I said early on that this will be a judgement-free zone is because I find that it is inevitable in most cases to not be affected in any way. A reveal that shows a part of someone that had been kept hidden due to industry practices and behaviors is not something that can be looked at as a mere fact, without anyone being affected by it. The secrecy nature of it can have an effect on all of us, regardless if we're happily married or not, regardless of our gender, age or if our day-to-day happiness is dependent on some idols.

[lej222]

hiii i'm a new fan of aslfua and also recently discovered ur tumblr! i appreciate ur analysis and insight so much because it's made me enjoy alsfua so much more and ur brain is so smart to connect all these references 😭😭 i'm curious, what is the ending that u hope for aslfua/mi-ae? :)

Hi!🙂 I'm trying my best thank you so much for the kind words❤️❤️❤️ Even though I might be totally wrong, it's fun to find those little clues😁

This is such a good question, and I will include spoilers from the latest Episode on Naver (155) to tell my opinion.🙂

So I've said this before, but I mainly started reading this series for nostalgia and because I used to work in education. For these reasons, I always viewed it as a growth story about kids whose biggest narrative role is to mature and learn throughout the story. I think so far some characters have had great character arcs that showcase this, like Cheol, Johan, or even Honggyu. In my head, their narratives are almost completed because they have changed a lot and matured - you can clearly see they were very different at the start of the story.

For Miae, I want to see a similar journey. Miae is still pretty much immature and she keeps running away from/ignoring problems that would destroy her "dream" world that she lives in. She has unrealistic expectations about life and doesn't grasp the seriousness of certain situations, or why she has to be responsible for her own actions. I think I've also mentioned this before, but Miae's biggest "teacher" seems to be Jisu just like how Miae was Cheol's. By hanging around with Jisu, Miae needs to be reliable, patient and understanding, but most importantly- Miae cannot run away from her problems because Jisu calls her out for it. Every time Miae tries to act like a kid, Jisu, who is a naturally blunt person points out her behaviour and becomes her voice of reason. Like when she tried to interrupt the confession or how she wants to keep secrets from everyone as to keep peace with her friends, basically she's avoiding conflicts. Miae reflects on Jisu's words because he treats her as someone of the same age, while others just accept her sometimes irrational behaviour which doesn't help her to change. Miae has to be super honest about her feelings and intentions when she's with Jisu because that's the only way he understands her intentions. Just like she has to be honest about his behaviour so Jisu can see when he's being too much/oversteps boundaries. So in the upcoming episodes I really want Miae to realize that Jisu is also a human being with emotions and she's actually hurting his feelings by not telling anyone they're friends and she enjoys his company. Or that she should stop hitting him/ruining his clothes and listen to what he says about himself.

Speaking of this, I hope that Miae and Cheol's relationship becomes healthier regardless of the outcome. It's sad to see that Miae has to keep being Jisu's friend a secret because Cheol is annoyed with him. In a relationship, communication is the key and Cheol and Miae struggle with it. When one of them is closed off, they keep following and cornering each other instead of giving time, and it only leads to misunderstandings. They keep avoiding talking about the status of their relationship because of their pride and Miae's expectations about dating are so naive I just cannot imagine them dating in the close future. Plus I also think Miae relies on Cheol to take responsibility for her and solve her problems, like when she wanted to call him to make peace between her friends. And not surprisingly, it was Jisu who showed up and called out her behaviour, which makes me think Miae will have to solve her own problems. So I hope all of these things will be resolved without other characters getting hurt, like Jisu.

And lastly, I really want Miae to realize her mother is coming from a good place. Because even though she's strict, she only wants the best for her daughter. I want to have one scene where Miae has a serious conversation with her and they both open up to each other. It's been theorized that Jisu doesn't have a good relationship with his father, so it might be the push for Miae's realization because both her and Cheol come from loving families. And Miae takes a lot of things for granted, that's why she keeps dodging responsibility. And she's a kid, so it's understandable, but if other characters have matured significantly, Miae should also be more mature by the end. She will go to high school and most likely very few of her friends will attend the same school, so she has to learn to let things go and accept negative experiences. Like the narrator pointed out, there are certain circumstances one cannot get over with sheer willpower because they happen anyway. So my final thoughts are that I want to have a closure that doesn't leave these kids with regrets, but rather when they look back on these years, they will think of them as fond memories.🙂

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Bunch Family

Connections (Part 4)

Judy had the whole morning to think about what she wanted to do next. During the night, she came up with a few insights and new ideas. And if she was already being offered help, then she should probably finally take it. “I hope someone is at home.”

After Judy knocked on the door, it took a while before it was opened. Victoria was probably busy at the moment. “Judy? It's been a long time since you last visited us."/ ”I know. Do you have some time, I wanted to talk to you about a few things"/ ‘yes of course, I'm alone right now, Connor and Beau are in the gym’/ ‘thanks’.

Judy hadn't actually been in this house for a long time, so she noticed something straight away. “What happened to the stairs?"/ ”Well, since we no longer have a second floor and our bedroom has moved downstairs, we tore them down and closed off the access so it doesn't rain in here anymore. Besides, it's already so cold now…"/ ‘That's right…’.

“But surely you didn't come here to talk about our humble living situation, did you?"/ ”No, well, maybe I did. First of all… I wanted to apologize…"/ ‘Apologize for what, Judy?’/ ”Ethan told me that you've asked a few times if you could help. “. Victoria nodded with raised eyebrows. “I've met him a few times, yes, but he said you'd rather do everything yourself"/ ”Yeah, that, that was selfish of me.”

“Hm, honestly? I always thought you might want to prove yourself to someone. Or win something like a 'who can organize the best' competition? No matter where we went, you were already there with almost everything ready…"/ „I just wanted to help where I could…’/ ”I know. And we're grateful for that. But it would have been nice if you had let us know beforehand”.

Judy nodded in understanding. “Mmm, and that's exactly why I'm here. I wanted to talk to you… And a few others too, of course, about how we can organize everything better together. Besides… Who's going to help us if we don't help each other?"/ ”That's true, though. I just don't understand why we haven't been supported so far."/ ”Hm, yeah. There must be a explanation for that.”

“I'm of the same opinion. You wouldn't believe all the theories Beau has come up with. And he always ends up with the Altos. Nick doesn't show up here at all, and neither does his wife."/ ‘Oh, do you know anything about whether they had a falling out with the Landgraabs?’/ ”Oh, because of their move? Yes, rumor has it. It went well the whole time. After all, they were the first ones they helped”.

“And this, despite the fact that they were always competing with each other"/ ”as the saying goes: when in need, the devil eats flies. But there must be something going on in the background. Otherwise they wouldn't make themselves so scarce"/ ‘that's true.’. Judy's gaze wandered to the fireplace, in which small flames were blazing. And only now did she realize that it was pleasantly warm in here. “You have it so good, you're the only ones with a fireplace"/ ‘Oh, I wanted to tell you about that! We found some great things in the junkyard, we can make a few stoves with them’.

“Really? I thought you wouldn't find anything there anymore"/ ”oh, no, the people just didn't like to get their hands dirty and look in the depths. Can you still remember Beau's first apprenticeship?”. Judy thought hard, but he shook his head. “uh, that was over 20 years ago, you'll have to help me remember"/ ‘he was a welder’/ ‘ah, yes, I remember now’.

“He could have earned a lot of money with this job back then. But because he didn't come to work completely sober just once, his boss kicked him out straight away instead of giving him a warning or a reprimand. That would have been enough. Beau was pretty down about it"/ ”I see. And he wants to make some alternative radiators for the people here?"/ ‘Yes, and he really enjoys it, Judy’/ ‘Hn, that sounds very good’.

After the two women had finished their first conversation, they sat down at the table to discuss the plans Judy had brought with her. There were quite a few items on the list, but Victoria listened patiently to everything. So they spent the afternoon together in a meaningful way.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover 🙂

[not-poignant]

Hey, hey! Random kind-of-writer here, who struggles to bring words on paper and looking for help/advice? I think I finally found my problem, which comes in the shape of 'my third person pov writing sounds like an ikea building instruction'. AKA: All that what the pov character perceives is there, things are happening/the plot is there but the writing kind of lacks thoughts/feeling/inner monolog? For years I've followed your stories and I look up to your writings skills. Especially you handling of pov and that gorgeous mixture of what the character perceives and what is happening in their head. Do you have maybe any tips/insight how do you find a balance?

Hi anon!

So firstly I'm going to point you to my dialogue research post that I put up recently, because dialogue research applies to a characters inner dialogue as well, and will kind of give you a guide as to how they're likely to be talking in their heads. (How I write as the narrator in A Stain that Won't Dissolve is actually somewhat similar to how Alex speaks, I even go out of my way not to use certain words if I don't think Alex would know what they mean).

Otherwise there's several approaches you can take.

You can imagine that the character is basically writing a journal entry or a diary entry. The narrator is, in a way, piggy backing off that. You're a fly on the wall of a character's brain. Sometimes they're going to have lots of thoughts, sometimes they're going to have none. Sometimes my characters are literally just narrating what's happening no thoughts attached, sometimes they're narrating with thoughts attached, and sometimes they're just thinking about stuff and missing what's going on in front of them.

Diary entries are like that too. They can vary from 'today I did this, did this, walked the dog, had this for dinner, and read some of this book' to 'oh my GOD I HATE this person sO MUCH and I really can't BELIEVE this is happening to me omg the DOG needs to be walked I keep FORGETTING.'

Somewhere in there, is your character.

Some characters are more - for lack of a better word - detached or utilitarian than others, some have their voices 'come to life' over the course of a story, because they're growing (Gwyn can be a bit like this).

Some characters are very observational, some are stuck in their heads. Some ground themselves through noticing their surroundings, others notice how other people are acting and behaving (especially true with trauma, Astarion notices setting way less than he notices how people are behaving around him).

It might help you to write down some little sentences like 'this character notices people a lot because people hurt them' or 'this character looks for nature because they like nature' or 'this character is very sensitive to smells so they constantly are aware of how things smell.'

From there, I am very sorry to say, it's just a matter of practice! This stuff becomes easier the more you do it. At first, it will be normal for the characters to feel a bit mechanical and not very natural, and that's because you're still building the skills you need to bring them to life from the ground up. Most writers don't have these skills even if they know what they're supposed to be learning, and they can only be learned through trying, making some mistakes, having some successes, and keeping on with the words.

How you write the first paragraph of a character this year, will be very different to next year, if you just keep writing.

Unfortunately, you can't skip past that part either. I can give you lots of tips, and you can do lots of research and guidance for yourself, but at the end of the day the best way to make it feel natural and have some depth, is to actually just keep writing characters and reflecting on what you've written, notice the paragraphs you like as well as the ones you don't, and building and building from there.

I wish you all the words, anon! It's normal to feel dissatisfied with your writing sometimes, that means you know you have room to grow - but the best thing is, you're already growing if you're noticing this stuff!!! That's actually a positive! You'll go through periods of feeling satisfied, and then dissatisfied, if you keep on keeping on, and looking at what the writers you love are doing, you'll eventually really just pick it up until it feels quite natural to you <3

[kujakumai]

So uh... This is might just be my shallow understanding but i did confused what Zorc Necrophades is.

I thought that Zorc is actually Priest Akhnaden that is turned evil due to his own corrupted heart. But i think i am wrong since almost every tv-troupes that i read that Zorc is Yami Bakura.

Maybe you could give me some insight to this

He's neither. Zork is this guy.

He's the ultimate embodiment of the darkness in all human hearts.

Zork likes to put pieces of his soul into things to corrupt them into being extensions of him, which is what happens to both Akenhadin and Yami Bakura. They are both part-Zork and ultimately subservient to his ends, to the degree that they do both claim to be Zork.

but the degree to which they really are him is...complicated. It's clear that both Akenhadin and Yami Bakura maintain portions of their individuality. Akenhadin, even to the very end, is insistent that Set become king, for example--why would Zork care for Akenhadin's son, especially when he intends to destroy the world anyway? They're still sort of themselves, I'd maintain, only Zork'd. Zorkened. Zorkified. To the degree that they can no longer tell the difference between Zork and themselves, even when there definitely is one.

The motif of putting pieces of your soul into things to create extensions of yourself is everywhere in YGO. It's how YB is in Memory World in the first place, because he sealed part of himself into the puzzle. It's all but stated to be how Marik's mind control works. Less literally, too. White Mage Bakura. It's basically what Heart of the Cards means, sort of--put your soul into your deck! Trust it as you trust yourself, and it will do what you need it to!

So if the question is "Who is Zork Necrophades?" That's easy. The guy with the dragon [CENSORED] up there is the only guy who is 100% undiluted Zork concentrate. He's Zork. That's him. The one and only.

If the question is "To what degree are Yami Bakura and/or Shadow Priest Akenahadin literally Zork Necrophades?" then that's not a question YGO answers clearly for us, besides "definitely at least a little yes, and probably at least a little no."

I dunno, to what degree "is" the dungeonmaster his NPCs? I mean, he made them. Gave them wants and needs and goals, put them where he wanted them, railroaded them into a particular role in the story he wants to tell, and ultimately controls them--but they're still their own characters, with individual statblocks, and sometimes the heroes interactions with them combines with their preset personalities in a way that frustrates his aims or produces a result he didn't expect. There's an attenuation that exists there.

That's probably not a good metaphor. But with these particular characters it's one I think about a lot.