#because it is literally based on this line of thinking

[sweaterkittensahoy]

A quick resource round up if you need yarn and shopped at Joann

I don't remember all of Joann's brands, so forgive me if I miss one, but here's everything I can think of that either will help you buy stuff you've used or give you a new place to look for yarn.

Yarnspirations will have everything for Red Heart, Caron, Patons, Lily Sugar 'n' Cream, Bernat, Aunt Lydia's, and Coats & Clark. (I made a post about this yesterday but don't want to skip it.)

Lion Brand's website will have any Lion Brand you need.

Plymouth yarn is one of those companies that shows you what they have but then you have to look at their shop list to find it.

Yarn.com is a huge yarn selling company with a lot of options, including Plymouth.

Creative Yarn Source is a website where you can get Omega-brand threads and yarns. I don't know if Hobby Lobby still carries Omega, but they did 15 years ago (I made a terrible vest [my fault; not the yarn] right before we moved to PDX). Lots of thread sizes and colors.

Knitpicks has size 10 and size 3 thread in a bunch of colors. It's called Curio. It's under laceweight. For a good acrylic worsted, I recommend their Brava. I also prefer their Dishie to Sugar 'N' Cream just because I like how it softens up a bit more.

We Crochet is actually just Knitpicks but aimed at primarily crocheters rather than knitters. They don't one-to-one on yarn options, which bothers me, but I'm sure it's based on what crocheters buy most often vs. what knitters buy most often. That site also has some extra brands on it, too.

If you need to sub a yarn, yarnsub.com is literally just that. They have a whole rating system. I've used it several times to source similar or replacement yarns.

Hobbii has always been a great resource for me, but if you are looking for an exact yarn, it's not going to be what you need. It's a Danish company, so shipping takes a little time, but every yarn I've gotten from them I've really liked. Their "Friends" line has stuff I would definitely consider workhorse sort of options.

Wool and the Gang has a website where you can buy directly from them.

Big Twist yarns has a website, but it just sends you to Amazon to buy, so here's the link to the page of it from Craftz brand. You can use this same link to get the Easy Peasy yarn for Woobles.

Premier Yarns has a website where you can buy directly from them.

Herrschners carries a bunch of different yarns, and if you like kits, that's a lot of their business.

[in-hos-wife]

It’s not just us anymore

Hwang in-ho x pregnant wife reader

Summery: after a argument with your husband in-ho he agrees to let you join the games with as two spies instead of one, but there are a lot of rules he put in place to keep you safe some of which you don’t know yet.

(The person who requested this @goingmerry69 )

Word count: 1,981

Tw: guns, murder, death, the normal squid game stuff, some changes in canon but when is there not, not proofread

You and your husband separated and joined the line of people who just played red light green light so both of you will blend in with the player in-ho made your background you both were lovers who came to the games because you needed money for your baby and a life without telling each other so when the vote came you were instructed to vote to stay and so you when your number was called you did and went to the side with the big o on the ground and then you here the one get called you look up to see your husband he waits a second being yelled at by both side to choose them you look up and it’s 182 and 182 a tie he would choose and you already knew the answer so you weren’t even surprised when he pressed the button with the o and your said literally cheered very loudly. After you all separated you watch you husband talk to Gi-hun and his friend who you don’t know the name of all you know is his player number which is 390 but you listened in to your husband and Gi-hun talk, you quietly chuckle when In-ho makes a joke about the second game the and the umbrella cookie. You already miss him but rule number 1 don’t go up to him at all till after the second game so you eat dinner and get ready for bed but you can’t sleep not only is your pregnancy making it hard to sleep, the mattress is hard and small and just not comfortable at all compared to the mattress in-ho bought for you guys after you told him you were pregnant but it wasn’t just those the main fact is that your alone, in-ho is not next to you cuddling you, holding you like your his life line. That’s when you hear his voice you listen in and hear his talking about why he was here and he bring up being married and her being pregnant and how he needed money to give you both a good life you to lock eyes and you go back to laying on the other side of your body.

You know the next game is a team game you know which one your playing rule number two make a good team with the number he gave you before you joined the ones good at the games other then the ones you choose of course it’s based on what he thinks but he told you the guards had one rule if they shoot you they all pay so you know your safe but rule number three don’t act like you aren’t scared it will give away your passion. So after you played you sat by where gi-hun and in-hos group sits and wait till they are done with there. As they walk out you sit there trying to remember what his fake name is. Rule number four never call him in-go even when alone you don’t know who’s listening. As they walked closer you here a voice “y/f/n??” You hear in/ho and then it clicked “young il? What are you doing here??” You look at his group you see gi-hun his friend, a marine who’s player number in 388 and another pregnant girl who’s number is 222. “I could ask you the same thing I’m here for you! And the baby” he holds you, oh how you missed it “for us I’m doing it for us!” His group looks at you and you guys then hug “she’s joking our group” in-ho looks at gi-hun and gi-hun nods then in-go whispers to you “rule five you don’t leave my side” you look at him. He didn’t tell you that rule but you aren’t complaining. As you guys vote he votes to leave so you you do to and so the players 222, 388 and gi-Hun but player 390 votes to stay which shocked all of you but that’s how people work sometimes. You sit by his side as you eat player 390 sat away from you all and gi-hun tells player 388 to tell him to come over when he come over and we’re all eating together you all tell each other your names 390 is Jung bae, 388 and dae-ho and 222 is Jun-hee, while you're eating in-ho give Jun-hee his Milk and so does gi-hun. In ho gives you some of his food while Jung bae gives Jun-hee his milk as well. In-ho hold you close to him and you lay on him who do you miss your bed and your shower your both taking a long one when this is done. You know what the next game is and you know only one hundred people will survive so you won’t let in-ho out of your sight. Gi-hun starts talking about how people will attack so you all have to prepare and that he will take first watch Jung-bae will take second and young-il will take third and you prepare for the third game mingle.

You don’t sleep peacefully but you’ll manage it was better when in-ho was with you but then you ate breakfast and got ready for the third game “remember to stay with me” in-ho says holding your hand as you both walk into the room with a big carousel where you would stand and 50 rooms. When you all got on the platform it started spinning which made you cling onto your husband. In-ho held you so you wouldn’t fall then it abruptly came to a stop and the robotic voice said the number ten. You hear a group yell four and you yell six and both your groups run to the door as you all got in go-hun stayed by the door after he closed it, you all sat there quietly waiting for the shooting to start and it did. You knew it would but it still scared you so you clung to in-go he knew it wasn’t you just acting he can tell the difference so he holds you close to him. When the shooting stops and the doors unlock you all leave and go back to the platform and you stay right next to in-ho, as it stops moving again the robot voice says 4. You all look at your group of six and in-ho grabs you “we’ll go find some people you four go!” He said and you both grab two people and ran to a door before the time ran out you know you two wouldn’t die if you didn’t find anyone but a rule was to act the part at all times even now you sat in a room with to random strangers so when the door opened you and him left and you hear Jung bae yelling “young-il! Y/f/n!!!” As he tells you both follow the voice and in-go yell Gi-Huns name and when you both got back to the group and started making sure everyone is ok “you know if the number is 8 we won’t need anyone else” you all look around at each other and the Jung bae laughs “because they are both pregnant” when he says that the rest of you start laughing “not even a dad yet and your already cracking jokes” you look up at in-ho “hey i became a dad when you told me you were pregnant” he says holding you as you all walk back to the platform and when it stops the robotic voice says three you, in-ho and gi-hun. As you thee are running to the door in-ho grip on you loosens and he didn’t realize till he heard you yelling while two people were dragging you into a room he’s gonna make sure they don’t make it through the next few rounds him and gi-hun grab player 149 who was separated from her son and go to a room when the round was over you ran over to in-ho and the group and he keeps you in his grasp not allowing you to move but you didn’t care

when you all got back to the platform you see how close player 007 is holding his mother you don’t know why but it’s probably the same reason in-go won’t let you go as the platform some to a stop the robotic voice says 6 and in-ho grabs you and you gi-hun, Jung bae and in-ho with player 246 find one more person and get into the room when the round is over you meet up again and realize player 095 didn’t make it. You felt bad for player 120 but things like this happen in this world that’s what in-ho told you to tell yourself. You all got on to the platform and in-ho holds you as him and the group talk about what the next number will be “it will be 2” in-ho says “why do you say that” gi-hun asks “there are 126 people left and fifty room two a room will make it to where only 100 make it out” while in-go says that in-ho grabs you and the platform stops and the robot voice says two and he grips your hand and runs while you guys get into the room he throws a guy out and you hold the door close then you hear in-ho “get out” then you hear another player “we were here first!” As your holding the door back you look to your husband and see him on the ground choking out the player who wouldn’t leave as it counts down you hear a crack then the timer hits one your husband just snapped his neck “i thought there was a rule against killing others?” You look at in-go as he stands up “well my love sometime rule are meant to be broken and it’s not just us anymore” he says holding your tummy “and we have to stay in character remember” you look at him “so a rule you didn’t put in place can be broken but the rule you did can’t be” he nods and you guys go back to the group and back to the room getting ready for the night.

While you guys were eating there was a big fight in the man’s bathrooms and both side were getting angry after the votes gi-Huns makes a plan to rebel to hide under the bed during light out then fake dead to get the guards guns you look at in-ho who nodded telling you to play along so you both did. You hid under the bed bunks and then he faked being dead with the other then when they were get people he looked at you like he expected you to join so you did as you guys went through the hallways you all hide then in-ho grabs you and a two others while you guys walked up to gi-hun h hand in-ho his last thing of ammo and you four walk to the other side and as they were walking in-ho holds you back and pulls out his gun and shoots both of them he get on the walker talkie “gi-hun…..I’m sorry, they got us” you hear as gi-hun yell young-il a few times then in-go switches the station to the guards “let’s rap this up” in-ho brings you up to to the room “go to bed my love and I’ll be back before you know it” you look at him “what are you gonna do?” He looks at you and smiles “last rule my love don’t question me…I’ll tell you when I come back” and with that he get into he’s all black uniform and black mask and gose to do what he need to and you finally rest peacefully after showering and Chang because you know you husband will be back.

[toniko]

brief words about impersonalization and Kim Soleum (spoilers up to 161

Kim Soleum rides such a hypocritical line between believing this is all a fictional world and the realness of this world. I really don’t blame him actually, the combination of toxic work culture and the base setting of him being transported into the world is like really numbing.

I mean the field exploration team uses masks that depict them as animals and as good of an item it is for exploration, that is one of the elements that dehumanizes them. It’s one thing for the groups to be split into the alphabet but it’s a whole different thing when you identify every employee by their group. You literally can not differentiate the employees in the logs (I mean look at that interview with Baek Saheon, this may be a bit of a bad example because I can see why anonymity would be kept here. Ah but it seems to be like that with every document? Mystery person here, mystery group here, finishing team). It’s awfully impersonal and while an interpretation of it just being useful code names is valid, in a profession with a high death rate, I doubt that’s the only reason. Oh yeah, highly expendable employees. But we can’t say we’re killing people, dare say individuals with their own entire lives and histories, so company employees sound a lot better. Everyone perpetuates it, it’s easy, team members die quickly and often, deal with it. Except not really right? Being human is to inherently care for your fellow human.

But hiring employees with looser personalities does help in that aspect. Capitalism win for the Daydream co. I guess. I have a small comment about how the Supernatural Management Bureau (now what is it called in the fan-translation? I’ll replace it someone let me know, I’m picking off namu wiki rn). It does purposely hire righteous but orderly folks but it seems both Agent Bronze & Choi are affected by past member deaths.

It feels like Kim Soleum keeps trying to draw a line and it doesn’t work. He says that he will have left before [big catastrophic event] but unconsciously forms attachments super quickly. I think his time away from the griptok and wiki is really making him accept the reality of these characters. Agent Choi’s survival gives Soleum a little brain blast acceptance that character’s fates really can change. Of course, didn’t it take a shockingly long time for that? I think it’s implication that he was still using the same excuse of them all being from a fictional world to shield his mentality. Gotta do what you gotta do Soleum.

He does all in his power to keep as many people alive (because he’s an empath 🙂‍↕️, we know) but the hangman game was obviously super personal.

btw I think Soleum has a bias in how he treats “named” characters as well. This is just my personal opinion, but the relationship with Lee Jaheon felt purposely professional up until recently (say 130s or so I think, I’m just rambling out), since Soleum inner monologue tended to emphasize the elements he remembered. The reader would notice that Lee Jaheon really does care a lot but you might have to dig through a couple of lizard and defeating darkness through force comments. It feels this stereotype he has of the named characters stick a lot longer! It makes sense, in the kind of format the original records were in, they were in fact character stereotypes to fill the semi-anthology esque story structure (would it be appropriate just to say SCP foundation?). Again, this divorce from the griptok is what I think a big contributor of his reality check is.

There’s also this uh, Baek Saheon in the room that I haven’t talked about. Probably the meanest thing Soleum does in this novel is bullying this guy lol. But that’s because Kim Soleum’s interpretation of him is so overblown and far in time compared to the current guy we know. At this point, I’d pin down Baek Saheon as a character that would maybe let someone die but wouldn’t kill them himself (yet). But that’s it, Kim Soleum having read so far into his story, operates with the assumption that he’s a comically evil bad guy. But this guy, all he does with his hypnosis pen is hide away like a mouse? Sorry for being a much more horrible person, I would’ve tried stealing his items but he was doing something so pointless even Braun didn’t think to let Soleum know (now is that a whole nother thing? Braun being more suspicious leading up to his darkness arc? Yeah.)

Braun being an all powerful ghost story entity btw without Kim Soleum having to mask his identity almost completely was like the total kryptonite of Soleum’s “I care too much about everyone’s lives but I can’t do that because they are all fictional but also alive”. Soleum isn’t against making relationships but he often calls Braun his only friend. Isn’t that a bit out of touch Soleum, I think there’s a couple of people who would find a friend in you.

J3, for example, who was looking for him after he went missing! Actually, color me a conspiracist but I think it’s much less a self esteem issue but a reaction of realizing the people he’s (trying to) push away actually like and care about him. I mean he’s trying to get out of this fictional world. He doesn’t want the people of this world to care about him, so he’s shocked at the revelation that they do. So I don’t think it’s out of a dislike of himself but in many ways, he’s forced to act unlike himself because of this world. Well anyway that’s just my opinion anyway…

some final personal (personal) thoughts down here…

Kim Soleum’s monologue drives me nuts. I know! That’s the whole novel! But it’s something like Baek Deoksu’s style, where I sit there and shake my head going “Young man, I know you’re playing tricks with me”. I mean seriously, it’s not a bad thing. Just don’t make me work hard every chapter hooo, I’m a lazy kind of guy yk read for fun and leisure. ghost story ooo so scary…

[cocogum]

The Great Wave - Chapter 17 Review

‼️SPOILERS FOR THE CHAPTER‼️

Nothing too major happens in this chapter which I think is a good way to relax a bit from all the serious stuff (and doppelgangers) that we've had to see in older chapters. But sadly, we don't get to see Amalia freaking out over the orphan ouginaks like a customer at a pet smart store (sorry @kirichux looks like it'll just stay a fantasy 😭) Too bad that didn't happen (for now 👹). Either way, it's at least nice to know that Yugo was actually not personally angry at Joris but rather just had a very serious while thinking about daddy Rasalar's face in the last chapter.

OMG LUIS STILL KEEPS CALLING HIM JOJO ‼️‼️‼️

I mean I know that he still does call him 'Jojo' since we also saw him in season 4 calling Joris like that, but I'm just happy to see him addressing him like that even in the Great Wave 💕💕💕💕

And yeah Luis is right, relax you're not acting as Bonta's representative/messenger right now lol Even your shushu has a point which is honestly saying A LOT. You can call them your besties here Joris don't be shy 🥰🥰🥰

And speaking of Yugo, I'm semi glad that the face he made last chapter wasn't meant for Joris. Cuz not only would he have confused the living hell out of Joris but he would have also scared the crap out of these kids.

JORIS IS WORRIED FOR HIS DEMIGOD BESTIE ‼️‼️‼️ OMG RASALAR IS GONNA GET HIS SEXY ASS KICKED ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

(sidenote: I personally see Lilotte as Joris's mortal bestie while Yugo is his demigod bestie. Yeah that's how I think i know it's clever ✨️✨️)

(yeah @geekgirles ur right, these two look so good in that panel 💗💗)

Like Joris is literally hearing that his demigod bestie got poisoned by the dragon who was meant to use him as a vessel. Shit was always personal but Joris knows that he crossed a line when he went for Yugo 🩷🩷

This must be such a weird day for Joris to visit memory lane again. First, he catches a thief who looks way too much like his past best friend. Then, he learns from Yugo and Amalia that the dragon who was meant to use him as a vessel poisoned Yugo.

Who's next on the list that would resurface from the dead and punch his childhood in the dick? His mom??

HAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHHAAHHAHAAHAHAHHA-

So uh Atcham really doesn't remember...either he sucks at remembering past faces or he's genuinely tweaking.

No cuz like wtf is going on in his head?? Same with Kerubim. Aren't they aware that they're standing face to face with Lilotte's doppelganger??? Come on, they literally look THE SAME. Fine, maybe Atcham kinda forgot since he had only seen Lilotte a few times BUT KERUBIM DOESN'T HAVE ANY EXCUSES TO NOT REMEMBER!?!?

He literally watched Joris GROW UP WITH LILOTTE. She was literally his best friend! After she died, can you honestly tell me how many more mortals Joris has gotten this close with??? Exactly. Atcham may be dumb for not remembering one of Joris' friends, sure, but Kerubim is the true dumbass here.

Speaking of Lilotte actually, Thirteen is clearly her doppelganger but it would be super ironic if her number (aka name 💀) was meant to be a bad omen for Harigue lol (if you forgot who that was, I don't blame you. It was that disgusting old man's name who slaved these precious kids)

Like her number name literally meant 'bad luck'. And you're telling me that she ended up being the one to bring Joris to his base? Yeah, if that isn't shit luck for that old bastard, then i don't know what is. It's especially ironic for her because that ended up being her lucky number 💕💕💕

ALSO PUPUCE IS ALIVE ‼️‼️‼️ WTF ‼️‼️

She's such a fighter, look at her still moving around with her little stubs 💕💕 It's nice to know that she survived 500 years with Joris and can still manage to run around...Pupuce is a real fighter lol

Also fun fact about her kind, they kinda work like bees: when they attack the player, they instantly die afterwards. So one attack equals immediate death. Looks like Pupuce is a pacifist....💀💀

These two bozos forgot that their asses got handed to them and are now Joris's kids. Yet they don't wanna share their stuff with OTHER orphans 😭😭😭

I swear to god it doesn't matter how old they get they are still lazy morons in each life.

I missed Luis's house magic 💕💕 The dofus movie made his skills look so smooth and satisfying like the motion and the way the bowls would just appear out of thin air, I loved it!!

AND THE CHILDREN‼️‼️‼️‼️

LOOK AT HOW THOSE LITTLE PUPS ARE OGGLING THE TABLE!!! That fucking old man never fed them right, he literally lashed out at them that they should be grateful that he feeds them every once and a while. So for them, seeing as table filled with food without anyone pushing them away or sneering at them is literally like seeing a miracle happening right in front of their eyes.

I bet that some of them still can't believe that they're out of the sewers. Those poor kids must be thinking they probably died or something because ever since Thirteen came back to the sewers, they got saved by a strong important guy that managed to scare the shit out of 'their master', got taken out of the sewers, got told they could just call their rescuer by his first name, got told they could stay at their rescuer's house, got told they could eat his food and sleep at his place, AND got told by their rescuer that he would give them normal names.

LIKE PLEASE YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT SOME OF THEM ARE AT LEAST DOUBTING THEIR OWN EXISTENCE RIGHT ABOUT NOW!!!

All I can say is please let Yugo's wave not annihilate them and shred them into more pieces than they're already missing 😭😭

I can't tell if they're purposely being petty assholes while having the mental age of a kid. Cuz wtf bro this is like being a mom and showing off your new baby to your other kids only for them to hate the newborn because they'll have to start sharing everything with them 💀💀

I'll smack these two 😃😃

TWENTY-SEVEN STOP YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE HIM ANYTHING 😫😫😫😫

Don't get me wrong, it's so cute that he gave his (make-shift 😭) teddy to Joris but the fact that he was thinking about giving him anything at all, especially his TEDDY, was as if he gave him some sort of payment rather than a gift. Because why would he give him his teddy of all things? He's still so incredibly young, he obviously uses it all the time. So to give it away would mean that he's so incredibly grateful, he would see it as his payment to Joris so that he and his siblings would be able to stay here 😭😭😭

STOP IT WOULD MAKE TOO MUCH SENSE!!!! 😫😫😫😫

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS WTF MAN 😭😭😭

He says it way too casually too 💀💀

"Yeah no, he's been a pain in my ass for like 500 years now 🙄🙄 urgh I can't stand him sometimes i swear 😒😒" like excuse me????

I'm waiting for the Joris fans to use this face as their pfps lol

And into the abyss they go...

[nohoperadio]

I've seen a few different sources about autism talk about how autistic special interests are often (or just "sometimes"? don't remember the wording) based on rote memorization of details without necessarily any broad domain expertise being involved. An example I remember is that an autistic person might like to memorize the precise technical specs of hundreds of different models of camera, while not having any interest in photography per se and never using a camera themselves.

Now I don't think I've ever personally encountered an autistic person who fits this description? Whenever I see or hear someone talking about their special interest(s), they tend to give the impression of being knowledgeable about the subject in a well-rounded sort of way, I don't think I've seen this thing of focusing on one narrow class of information and ignoring everything else.

But anecdata is limited in obvious ways and maybe there's a selection effect there where the people who have these narrow-focus special interests are less inclined to chat/blog/etc about it because they don't expect people to be interested, or something like that, who knows. So I'm not trying to claim that this whole thing is a myth or something, I'm sure it's real although I'm not sure how to gauge how widespread it might be. And it's obviously not a bad thing to have an interest like that, I'm not trying to be like "oh this is a harmful myth about autism", it's literally chill. I'm just curious about this gap between what I've read about and what I've actually encountered!

So, chat: do you, or do you know someone who does, have an interest along the lines of what I'm talking about? I'm curious to hear about it!

[lucabyte]

Where are people getting 8-12 for Siffrin from????? Like even without the timing of the Island, SASAP Siffrin canonically drinks wine and I’m pretty sure there’s a bathroom convo that implies he’s gone out drinking with the party before, like that rouge is a Grown Adult 100% (and also if Siffrin Was somehow 8-12 I don’t think they would’ve written their interactions with Isabeau like that since he’s also written to be at least mid 20s or so and has a job)

8-12 as in 8-12 when they left the island, not during game events. You misread the tags on this one.

(said tags were based on seeing poll results where the overwhelming, while not Majority, mode/most frequent answer was 8-12, with a not insubstantial number of people answering 5-9??)

(ive repeated my own thoughts on this matter a number of times, but mostly it comes down to disagreeing with 'refusing to eat vegetables is a childish reason to run away' since it's stated in text that they were Joking at the time (reads to me like a teenage 'ohh my god stop telling me what to doooo', which is also supported by adrienne's own word of god that they were a teen/that its based on their own teenage anecdote), and the logic that an unnacompanied child is likely to be taken in and taken care of, where a mid-teen or older is more likely to be assumed to be okay when Wandering Around On Their Own, Homeless. Which to me lines up far more with Siffrin's in-game behaviour of latching onto small kindnesses, etc. I know a lost child is a sad concept but extend that kind of empathy to teens too?? A lost teen ends up in such a tragic place of 'too old to be seen as needing protection' and 'still too young to be alone like that'. you dont need to make them younger to make it more tragic! if anything losing MORE of their adolesence is scarier... So I'm on team 15-18 myself. Because uh. Numbers. 30/25 minus 10/15 is still more likely to be on the higher side. And thats assuming that people would say 'about a decade' when referring to a variance as high as 5 extra years. (remember too that nille has to be able to be old enough to remember the island's disappearence and she's mira's age of early 20s. Mathsssss))

(although i have seen some WILD poll results with at least a few people pegging sif's in-game age as low as 19-23 which still boggles the mind given how frequently they're reiterated to be the second oldest in the party next to odile and the. literal wiki page that states their age to be mid-to-late 20s. I have No idea where people are getting that outside of 1. not paying attention 2. infantilisation 3. being on the younger end themselves and not really being able to visualise an older person (than them. 30 isnt old) having the kinds of mental struggles that siffrin has, and due to relating to them pulling the presumed age closer to their own)

[doodler16]

Tbh, I think Lucifer's inspiration is fucking gross. Viv is in love with The Greatest Showman. I.e. the movie that romanticized a man who owned two elderly black women and treated them as oddities, abused and killed his disabled works/"the freak shows", and was just an overall scam artist wanting to make money. I love Lucifer as much as the next guy, but, you can tell Viv does not do any research because oh my God. On top of that, circuses are just... have a big reputation of being shitty? Animal abuse, worker deaths (the concept of red lining), mistreatment of workers, ableism, misogyny, racism, etc. there's nothing wrong with having circus themes, but lord. Maybe DON'T base one of your characters who is the reason why so many harmful shit that's still in the circus today? That's why I just put my head in my heads at Leviathan. The "two-headed twins" shit were often people of color being stolen from their homes or they didn't have a place to make money, and resulted having to work at these places. Not to mention, forced to do gross acts against their will. But I guess it's line with Viv, considering what the fuck she's done.

Huh, I didn’t know that about “The Greatest Showman.” Then again I haven’t seen it besides listening to that one song. Vivziepop not doing research doesn’t surprise me.

The circus theme is a nightmare, Anon. I can only confidently tell 3 characters that represent their circus theme and that is Lucifer (ringleader), Mammon (jester/clown), and Satan (strongman). That’s literally it. As for the rest of the characters, I cheat whenever I can (aka looking at Vivziepop’s paetron posts when it gets posted online for free).

[moniericreative]

Goro Akechi: A Mask of Heroism

Part 3 of my multi-post series: "The Universally Hated Futaba Line: Biased Opinion to Throw Out, or a Valid Point Taken Too Literally?"

The posts will be in the following order:

Part 1: Clarifying the meaning of the line (link) Part 2: A Mask of Lies (link) Part 3: A Mask of Heroism (this post)

Please check out the first two posts of the series for more context, as it'll help explain the direction I'm going in when discussing this subject.

Without further ado, enjoy the final part!

So you guys might be asking why I started with the "Mask of Lies" first, and not this one. Especially since Akechi's childhood dreams of being a hero are stated very explicitly in his Royal confidant.

Well, it's because when you ignore the lies aspect (i.e. Futaba's words), and focus exclusively on this single portion of Akechi's character... A lot of people tend to think that's all Robin Hood represents. That he's the "Good Shoulder Angel™️" to Loki's "Bad Shoulder Devil™️" and nothing more. Sound vaguely familar?

It's the other unfortunate extreme that's full-tilt in the opposite direction.

By fervently ignoring Futaba's observation, you accidentally horsehoe right around from pigeon-holing Akechi's persona(s) with a convenient, singular label to... pigeon-holing Akechi's persona(s) with a convenient, singular label. This time it just sounds cuter because it's childhood nostalgia flavored.

But both Robin Hood and Loki are far more nuanced than that, and nothing's a bigger example of this than how Akechi's ideals of a "hero of justice" grew up with him (even if he himself can't see it).

How his methods of helping others gradually evolved from playing pretend with a toy gun and saving imaginary people...

To expertly utilizizing his crafted image and its connections, as well as his own resourcefulness and cunning, to help real people even if it doesn't his benefit his revenge against Shido in any way.

Much like the actual hero of legend that Robin Hood is based on (or at least, it's more modern interpretation).

Let us go back to the previous examples in a different light, shall we?

Let's Discuss: The Game

So we've already covered Akechi's absolute masterclass of subterfuge and cheating a rigged system to benefit the Phantom Thieves.

Is he only doing this to win their trust in order to pull the rug out from under them?

Perhaps, but that ignores the elephant in the room: His relationship with Sae.

While he does have a single line of "foolish woman" before the interrogation room, there's one small detail that often gets overlooked.

Why didn't he remind Shido that Sae was a loose end in their plans?

While he didn't know about the Phantom Thieves' actual plans to keep Joker alive, that still doesn't change the fact that the Sae now has direct ties to the Conspiracy's actions because they used her palace as a trap, and she presumably has a Change of Heart.

With how close Sae was to uncovering The Conspiracy already, and with a determination to keep digging until she found the truth, it would make sense for Shido to order her death. After all, he did so for Kayo (Ohya's friend), Kobayakawa, and the SIU Director and they arguably knew just as much.

So why didn't he?

Because Akechi kept his focus on the Phantom Thieves, and not once did he ever remind Shido about Sae.

"Well, maybe Akechi was riding the high of victory and simply forgot? He seems pretty egotistical during that timeframe."

True, but then you have multiple scenes following the Interrogation Room.

The first is his phone call with Shido on 11/20 (while he's in the elevator), where he tells him he'll take care of the Phantom Thieves:

And then the second scene is during Shido's arc, after Shido becomes paranoid due to the Thieves destroying his cognitions of people in his palace, and he and Akechi are in another call:

Notice something specific about both of these interactions? Not once does Akechi give any specifc info about when or how he eliminate these people. He instead keeps giving vague half-answers wrapped in a villianous bow, downplays the threat of the remaining thieves (especially Morgana), or tells Shido "why not wait until after the election?"

The election that he's already planning to ruin Shido on.

Both moments are such a blatant attempt at damage control to ensure less blood is spilled in the long-run, and recontextualizes everything beforehand with Sae.

Throughout the game he says he respects her, and that's no more evident than this. Despite tricking her, he's not interested in killing her or inducing a breakdown/shutdown in her.

In fact he went along with the plan to Change Her Heart and left it at that, only knowing that by stealing her treasure, she'd hopefully re-evaluate her actions leading up to this and go back to normal.

He didn't know that the Thieves never planned to actually steal her treasure. He just trusted their methods, knowing it helps more people in the end than his own. He even asks Makoto herself this:

Which, while it could be seen as him just pretending to be comforting her, gains a more genuine layer with the above context behind his question. The guy loves his double-entendres after all. He put his faith in them, and lied on their behalf to Shido to keep the remaining thieves and Sae safe, regardless of whether he was aware he was doing such or not. On another note, there's also some cut Mementos lines as well (implying that it's not just Joker he opens up to, but everyone else as well):

And finally, we can talk about that Cut Mementos Request as well.

In a way, I understand why this was cut despite being nearly finished. It doesn't leave the players feeling accomplished, but rather like they just made the situation worse and can't take it all back.

But that's the point, and it's a very important lesson they sorely need.

Akechi intentionally chooses targets similar to his situation with Shido, and any information he gives to the Thieves is superficial. Past work history, past connections, etc. As far as investigating goes, he even says he'll do it himself, which the other thieves agree to. Then when they all discuss a game plan, he hangs back while the other thieves come up with their own narrative for what's happening, and doesn't correct them.

The entire point behind this long charade though?

He doesn't want the Thieves to get hurt any further by people like him.

One very important thing to note about this request is that it only occurs during Third Semester. Maruki's Reality. The same reality where, once they defeat him to restore the true reality, everything that occurs during it will be reverted.

Including the events of this request.

Which is probably the actual reason why it got cut other than time-constraints. What's the point in learning it if your mistake can be undone in the end, right?

But again, that's the point. It's a means of giving the Thieves a reality check to be more careful in the future, without them carrying a permanent weight on their shoulders like he has. To let them actually feel first-hand the consquences of their powers when used recklessly, or blindly putting their faith in anybody, and hopefully learn from it to save others more effectively.

He's giving them the lesson and out that he never got before he started working with Shido, and was in too deep to quit.

Let us discuss: P5: The Animation

This time, we've actually got two instances instead of just one.

The first is Yusuke's situation with Kawanabe: (Episode 13 · Dreams and Desires) The second is Futaba's situation with her uncle: (Episode 24 · A Challenge That Must Be Won)

In Yusuke's case, Akechi's main argument to convince Joker into helping him with the investigation into Kawanabe is this:

Of all the people he could've gone to for assistance on the case, he went directly to Joker because he knows Yusuke is his friend, and if they don't do this, Yusuke, a child with honest aspirations, will become yet another casualty of a corrupt individual in power.

He's solved plenty of cases without needing Joker's presence, case in point his entire years-long Detective Prince career (which the anime shows isn't just the cases involving the shutdowns). But he's still willing to ask for his help anyways because he knows Joker will also do anything to protect people in need, even if it means bending or outright breaking the law.

In Futaba's case meanwhile, the dynamic is flipped around completely: Joker asks Akechi for help. The whole situation starts with Akechi being the one to initiate the topic on Futaba acting off due to her uncle:

And Joker responds to him with this sometime later:

The day after, they both have this exchange while discussing the matter:

The entire time, Joker's very open about not wanting to share much information about Futaba's situation to Akechi, who at this point the thieves are well aware he's the Black Mask. It's only after Akechi shares his own experiences with his mother and the foster care system that Joker finally gives him the info he needs to look into Futaba's uncle. Akechi never asks for more context, he trusts Joker's judgement that this is another awful person who needs to be stopped and goes along with it without question.

And all to help a girl that he's aware is in this whole situation because of his actions, too. You could probably argue this is way of atoning for what happened to Wakaba.

Let us discuss: Mementos Mission

Here we can actually talk a bit of the grander plot in the manga, rather than focusing on an iconic yet minor part of it. To give a brief summary, Mika is accused of a murder, and Ann and Joker (followed by the rest of the thieves) want to clear her name and find the true culprit. To this end, Joker decides, against the judgement of the other thieves, to ask Akechi for help in looking into this whole mess.

One key thing to note about this is that Akechi goes out of his way to look into this in between his own cases, including that of the "Double Fanged Murder Demon" that they find out later on is connected to it. And the kicker? It's not even remotely connected to The Conspiracy at all, either. Nor Akechi's revenge plan against Shido (which does get hinted at in this story). There's no subtle clues indicating that some parties might be tied to the conspiracy, or need to be taken out like Okumura was. It's just an entire cast of people in their own smaller spider-web of coincidences, that Joker and co. happen to stumble into. Akechi has absolutely nothing to gain from indulging in Joker's request to look into police files or clues, but he still chooses to do so anyways, even if he's technically not supposed to share details due to confidential information.

The only thing he asks for in return? More coffee and curry. That's it. Surprisingly simple pleasures for a very complex guy.

Akechi's honestly one those characters that's fascinating to see others react to. When people hear the "lie" comment, they tend to jump straight into two categories afterwards:

The people who take it too literally, and proceed to loathe him with every fibre of their being and doubt every word he says (and end up falling for his black mask "being his true, more likeable self" by Third Semester when it's yet another distancing tactic).

The people who write it off completely, and proceed to victimize him to the point that it takes away any agency he has over his crimes (in spite of how frequently Akechi accepts the blame for his own involvement, or says that it wasn't solely Shido's manipulation driving him forward).

Even Akechi himself says it: It's not that simple.

He's a liar, but he lies for a damn good reason.

It's just such a shame that there isn't much room to have nuanced discussions about this, because of the two sides and the admittedly knee-jerk reactions to anything opposing them.

Because everything involving the Robin Hood side of Akechi is honestly fantastic. It's a middle-ground on justice between blind righteousness (like the Phantom Thieves) and tunnel-visioned "might makes right" (like Shido, Yaldy, Maruki, and to an extent Sae).

It's the stance of someone who's crawled his way up through a living hell with pleasant smiles and a gun behind his back, but still has enough faith in humanity to put his trust in Joker: The closest person to his idealistic image of a hero, moreso than himself.

The Detective Prince and Black Mask may have been public images, but underneath both is a kid who just cares deeply and painfully about others.

[acourtofthought]

Hey, just popping in with some thoughts! Based on your post last.

So, I totally get the frustration with the whole Elain/Lucien situation, but I feel like the argument that "because Elain said so" isn’t a valid reason kinda misses the point? Like… that’s actually a very important reason! Just because something is a major trope (angsty rejected mates, slow burn suffering, etc.) doesn’t mean SJM has to explore it every single time. Maybe the whole point is that Elain gets to choose, even when the universe tries to shove her into a predetermined path. 👏 Girl. Has. Agency. 👏

And honestly? Not every story needs a full-blown love triangle or 500 pages of emotional turmoil. Maybe SJM just doesn’t think an Elain/Lucien romance serves the larger narrative. We already know mating bonds don’t have to be romantic, so maybe Elain’s arc isn’t about tragic rejection but about defining love on her own terms. Revolutionary, I know.

Also, why do we assume Lucien has to be central to Elain’s story? His whole journey with Vassa/Jurian and his identity crisis (Beron’s kid? Helion’s kid? Future High Lord???) is a lot, and maybe that’s his story, not one tied to Elain’s decisions. If SJM is holding off on Lucien/Elain, it could be intentional because she’s setting him up for something else.

All that said, if Maas completely ignores the bond without any meaningful resolution, then yeah, wasted potential. But maybe, just maybe, the point is that fate isn’t the final word on love. 💖

Curious to hear your thoughts! 🫶

This feels a bit like a copy and past messages because none of my recent posts dealt with what your referring to. It also seem you've either accidentally stumbled upon the wrong page since I'm clearly Pro Elucien or you're baiting, which I hope not.

However, the tone of the message was friendly enough so I'll definitely respond and tell you all about how I disagree.

I'm going to tackle one of your later points, "why do we assume Lucien has to be central to Elain's story."

Because Sarah has literally laid out Lucien's future journey for us while simultaneously laying out Elain's future journey while simultaneously laying out Az and Gwyn's future journey's and the journey's only line up when we're considering certain pairings. Elain was not part of the crossover in anyway, shape or form. She has never once been connected to time travel, been mentioned as being interested in time travel, had nothing to do with learning the history of Prythian. But Az was written to be interested in those things, was written to find out about the Asteri from other planets, was written as staring after the orb Bryce showed them even after it disappeared (just like Lucien was written as staring across the continent as if setting his sights on Koschei), and was written as learning about the history of their world when he was with Bryce. The only one of his possible love interests that was written as having done research on the past and time travel is.....(drum roll please), Gwyn! Not to mention Gwyn is a Valkyrie and SF told us Cassian and Az planned on continuing their training whereas Az never onced offered to help Elain train her powers.

As far as Lucien, he is now PERMANENTLY stationed in Spring. He is friends with Vassa who is soon to be called back to Koschei, he met Elain's father and with the retcon in SF of when he met up with him should now be aware of what bargain her father made. He's also the only male who can tell Elain what the last days of being around her father were like. In ACOWAR, Elain was given visions of Vassa and Koschei, in SF, she was written as being made for Spring, as having her scent linger like a promise of Spring, she was written to look like she had the life sucked out of her in NC black, was constantly sitting at the sunniest windows and said herself that what she needed was sunshine, while Sarah wrote her losing the color her face had gained once winter set into the NC. (Spring and Day don't seem to have winter!). Also, Elain and Lucien are mates and no matter what you think will happen the text specifically tells us the bond will ALWAYS TRAIL ELAIN FOR THE REST OF HER EXISTENCE. That's a long time. No matter what, Lucien will always hold some part of her and she him.

The question is not why Lucien has to be central to Elain's story, it's how could anyone not realize he is going to be Elain's story forever, no matter what her decision is.

As far as your whole choice argument, this is an author who loves fated mates, who feels that from the very first moment she laid eyes on her husband she knew he was the one. Was that a choice or something that felt like destiny? And Sarah has written Elain and Lucien, from the moment they laid eyes on one another, as knowing that they were mates. Now this is a book so of course it has to be a roller coaster before the HEA but I have no idea why you'd think an author would prefer to write about mates rejecting one another, knowing they'll always feel a draw to one another (even though the authors has written them as being absolutely perfect and extremely compatible for one another and you're lying if you pretend otherwise) all to say "but choice is so much more important than fate or destiny even if that choice says he hasn't thought of you beyond his sexual fantasies and didn't give you credit for the king and doesn't think you could handle the trove but thinks your sister can). If choice was more important than destiny than Frodo would have never destroyed the ring because he definitely would have preferred being back in his hobbit hole many times on his journey.

Elain has had nothing but choice when it comes to whether she decides to be with Lucien because he hasn't forced a single thing on her.

This particular author literally told us Elain chose Lucien. How she thought he'd always be with Nesta until she realized that they'd worsen one anothers wounds but then Elain took BOTH Sarah and Lucien by surprise. Elain's character spoke to Sarah, she literally told the author what her story would be then Sarah just went and added the drama.

It seems you believe Elain doesn't have some sort of say in who she ends up with and it'll be more powerful to break free of that so she can "pick who she wants" when she's clearly been free to do whatever the hell she wants over the last two years. She literally begged Graysen to still love her. But not once in those two years has she chosen to reject the guy who you are so convinced she doesn't want and yes, though Elain does not owe Lucien her body or time, she does owe him a formal rejection because they are linked and you and I and everyone in this fandom knows that. Author's don't have characters like Elain leave characters like Lucien in a weird limbo two years without having a real conversation with him if she's always known the plan is for Elain to reject him without ever interacting so you can bet your ass Elain's book is going to have a whole lotta Lucien.

And you're right, not every story needs pages upon pages of a love triangle and that's why Sarah wrote Elain returning Az's necklace then never again looking his way in the 4/ 5 months after Solstice. E/riels setup is over and Sarah can now focus on the true romantic arc of Elain's character which has always been Lucien and their bond. Az will be ok though because he's already got admiration and amusement going on for another girl.

[aspenlovesmedia]

Protocol thoughts I have before s2 starts because I have a lot of them and I want to see what gets answered/what I’m right and wrong about. These are all based on my notes from my relisten and on the alchemy research I did today. This post is long lol, sorry in advance.

Has a Bouchard worked for the OIAR before/did Gwen get her job because of it? This is entirely based on a line from ep1 where Gwen says “Oh, nepotism is it?” And Alice says “I learned from the best”. This could just be in reference to the Bouchard’s being rich and stuff, but this line has stuck with me.

What happened to the Response Department? I think it’s suspicious as hell that Response was closed down and not the OIAR. This also links into how do missfiles happen and who is rating the accuracy of the staff?

What’s the deal with Starkwall? I hope Gertrude is involved with them somehow. I just think it would be funny if she was involved in burning down the Institute.

A huge theme is balance. It shows up in a lot of episodes, which makes sense because alchemy. Not to go on a massive alchemy tangent since I did some research on it today, however the philosopher’s stone wasn’t just about immortality, it was about purifying the human body and soul. This is also referred to as the “Great work”, which is directly mentioned by who I’m going to assume in Jonah Magnus in ep 27. There are also a lot of body doubles and stuff like that, which I’m guessing is that concept of making a perfect human gone wrong. I mean, there is literally an episode where that woman is trying to make the idealised version of herself.

How did Celia find out about the OIAR?

Jon and Martin are clearly reaching out as much as they can. Jon gets name dropped as sending the email to Sam. The true question is why they’re encouraging the investigation into the Magnus Institute considering everything that happened lol. Also, who sent Gwen the documents? I’m thinking it’s Augustus? I have no evidence though, it’s just a hunch.

Will we see Klaus (the IT guy Lena failed to kill)?

What’s the deal with Gerry and Gertrude? Gertrude is suspicious as hell and clearly knows more than she’s telling. Also, she calls Gerry her grandson, which brings up the question what happened to Mary and Eric?

The Merchant guy from ep 4 might be relevant? The reason I say this is because in ep 4, he has some dice, and ep 9 is all about supernatural dice and considering how the violin acted I’m assuming they’re the same dice that he had.

Will the key come up again? I know Sam dropped it, but I do wonder if it will come up again.

I just need y’all to know every Bonzo episode I have variations of “oh fuck” written down because I hate Mr Bonzo so much.

The OIAR are there to help with “balancing” stuff out and I don’t know exactly what that means it’s definitely relevant.

The quote “the world is filled with opposing forces, some benevolent, some not” was really interesting to me.

Lady Mowbray seemed to know Celia wasn’t from their world which was fascinating to me.

I can’t 100% confirm this but is Alice the only one to get jmj errors? If so, idk what that means but it’s weird.

How much does Lena know? Also, why is she so determined for things not to change where possible?

So, I made a post previously on this, but I’m pretty sure the Archivist is an amalgamation of all the TMA fear entities. Celia saying “It’s not acting how I would have expected” is a line that I think supports it.

The biggest question to me is how Jon, Martin and “Augustus” ended up in Freddy.

I am absolutely convinced either Luke or Teddy will die. I don’t know which, but one of them is going to at somepoint. Idk, but I’m sure of it.

Anyway, that’s like 90% of my thoughts on everything from s1. There are a few others but they’re very vague and I can’t phrase in a way that make sense lol.

[logancreatesworlds]

@c-nstantine @milkbean69 @mintballoons @kawaiigirly21 @vamp-bunny @sacredwarrior88 @winters-doll

I was thinking about J'onn's portrayal in Justice League cartoon iterations, both how good they were and how they left much to be desired. I feel like the Justice League/Justice League Unlimited iteration of J'onn J'onzz was the most in-depth - which speaks to how much DC does not value the character at all.

One thing that I like about J'onn's overall character is that he has the powers and empathy of Superman while also maintaining the intelligence and pragmatism that Batman has. There's one particular conversation (or argument depending on how you interpret the dialogue) between Superman and J'onn that is very tense in Justice League Unlimited: Season 2 x Episode 10, which is called Flashpoint.

The TL;DR is that CADMUS is increasingly concerned about the Justice League's growth in the last few years - especially because they've extended their roster from just seven extremely powerful and skilled individuals to a whole ass army of superpowered vigilantes. So, they start fucking with Supergirl and our friendly neighborhood Kryptonian is understandably not happy. The confrontation between Superman and J'onn, which quickly becomes Superman vs. J'onn, Green Arrow and Flash, taught me more about ALL of these characters - especially J'onn, than damn near all pieces of animated and live-action media.

There are three particular lines from J'onn that helped me understand who he is.

Superman: "Give me one reason not to go down there and take them [CADMUS] out."

J'onn: "If you didn't know the answer, you wouldn't have bothered to ask."

And...

Superman: "We can't let CADMUS get away with this."

J'onn: "No one's saying we should, but we have to keep a cool head."

And...

Green Arrow: (to Supergirl) "Look kid, Hamilton's [fake ass hoe who works for CADMUS] a piece of garbage and Luthor's worse. But this isn't the way to stop them."

J'onn: "We must also consider the possibility that CADMUS is right to be afraid of us."

I love these exchanges because they show me how J'onn is so powerful but he also acknowledges how he has to be so restrained all. the. time. And there's so much context as to how J'onn has to interpret his relationship with humans because not only does he look vastly different from Superman, but his experiences are vastly different because of how humans have treated him.

Bear in mind that this man was literally taken into custody when he got to earth - and he was trying to SAVE earth from the same aliens that destroyed his world (*this applies specifically to the Justice League iteration of his backstory).

But Superman has had mostly positive experiences with human from being raised by a lovely human couple to even forming a relationship with a human woman. AND he's interpreted as white - which adds another layer to his character.

There's a reason why Martian Manhunter is interpreted by some fans as "black-coded" - including myself - because he understands firsthand how humanity's bias can separate people based on looks - especially as an alien who can shapeshift and look like anyone.

So, Superman being ready to fly off the handle because of a negative interaction comes off as almost like a tantrum to J'onn, despite the understandable reasons why he's upset.

It reminds me of one scene from a The Boys episode where Billy Butcher and Stan Edgar are discussing how to get rid of Homelander.

Billy Butcher: [Regarding Stan Edgar choosing to keep a literal Nazi hoe as a superhero for his company] "Maybe you should take a look in the mirror, mate. Cuz that bitch should bother you."

Stan Edgar: "Of course she does. But it's not about me. I can't lash out like some raging, entitled maniac. That's a white man's luxury."

While Stan Edgar's motivations are totally different from our favorite Martian's, with Edgar's goal being to control humanity using the pharmaceutical superhero company he's in charge of and J'onn's goal being to save humanity and make it better, both men have a very realistic view of their current situations, how they are perceived and how they have to respond to be successful.

Plus, J'onn is just a real ass dude to be honest. He doesn't flinch when Superman runs up to him and is crashing out. In the show, he reguarly corrects other heroes when they are using excessive force, such as Wonder Woman.

In my opinion, I think Batman specifically put him in this position as watchtower moderator since he not only has the intelligence to balance all these heroes...but he also has a fucking backbone. Martian Manhunter isn't a follower.

I also think this is why J'onn gravitates towards law enforcement roles, whether it's being a detective or being a literal Manhunter back on Mars. Because to be Martian Manhunter is to be fair to everyone - even when it's hard.

This is why it's so fun to be a Martian Manhunter fan and make up stories about him. Because he's always so controlled, calm and collected that I just want to see him crash out ONE 👏🏾GOOD 👏🏾 TIME 👏🏾 over a love interest.

Like that scene with Martian Manhunter and Superman arguing over CADMUS would've gone HELLA different had J'onn had a superpowered girlfriend who was also threatened by CADMUS.

Superman: "Oh yeah? And tell me, what if CADMUS went after (Y/N)?"

The whole room goes silent.

Flash resists the urge to flinch when J'onn's eyes narrow at Superman.

J'onn: "This has nothing to do with her. You leave her out of this."

Superman: (glares) "And if CADMUS chooses not to leave her out of it? Since you're okay with CADMUS targeting us and we don't get to respond, I wonder what would happen if they experimented on someone important to you. Something tells me those scientists would suddenly all get aneurysms-"

J'onn: "You leave. My mate. Out. Of this."

[afinestoutlove]

Sorry in advance, but I have to rant about this because every now and then I have a first year Intro to Gender Studies student (who got all their feminist knowledge from white girlboss instagram) making this ridiculous argument and it drives me up the wall.* It's so deeply ignorant, like it shouldn't be possible in the internet age to be this ignorant (and yet... humans). And it almost always leads to "women are always victims, men are always evil" gender essentialism that's also sex negative and anti trans. This oversimplification of oppression never ends in a good place.

Literally all women across all time were literally slaves? Even if we (wrongly) assume Western society literally enslaved all women across all time, did/do the many many non-Western matriarchal or gender equal cultures just not exist (yes, some of them are still around!)?? And are you really going to argue that rich white ladies benefiting from the labour of ensalved people during chattel slavery were the same??

This exact line of thinking was one of the biggest failures of second wave feminism, because it completely ignored any other intersections of oppression but especially class and race oppression. It attempts to create a false "sisterhood" based on a single vector of oppression and ignores really important others, leaving women of colour (esp Black trans women) excluded and misrepresented. Not all oppression is literally slavery, and trying to claim it is really misses some crucial points.

*To be as fair to these young people as I can, there have been some big name "feminists" making this argument, sometimes in quasi-academic circles, who should never have been given the platform they got.

So someone, who claimed to be a historian, tried to argue to me on this here webbed site that women were literal slaves for all of history, forever and always amen. And I said something like, "I think women's rights and how well they were treated went up and down across time and different societies." But I was told to name these exceptions and that any exceptions prove the rule (which wow, way to set up an unwinnable argument), so I blocked them because obviously.

But like, I'm sorry, literal slaves? I know there have been many types of slavery throughout history, but I'm not sure I've ever heard of a slave ruling a country in their own right? Or slaves regularly inheriting property after the death of their owner. Because tons of societies allowed women to inherit their husband's or father's property if there wasn't another heir. I have heard of slaves being freed after the death of their owner and maybe being given some amount of money but not inheriting the freaking house.

I'm not a historian, but I've never heard a historian make such a blanket statement either. I just feel like if you are trying to convince someone that women had a hard time historically (who exactly disagrees with that?), this is not the way. It's such an exaggeration that it will be rejected.

[beigetiger]

Cannot stop thinking about how Skulduggery has sort of peaked in his abilities. He’s four hundred, the Death Bringer, and one of the most powerful Elementals ever. That’s quite a lot to his name.

I’m also thinking of how Valkyrie is just getting started. She’s BABY to the other sorcerers, and yet she’s already practically on his level. I’m obsessed with the idea that she’ll just…keep going. Godhood is inevitable for her, she’ll just keep losing more and more of her humanity until she’s no longer even a sorcerer. She’ll outgrow the world some day. And Skulduggery will love her anyway.

There’s a lot to be said about the religious aspect of this series and I find it all extremely fascinating, both how the sorcerers view religion and how it’s wrapped up with the characters and their arcs. Valkyrie already has a religion dedicated to one of her aspects and Skulduggery is kind of the Death Bringer, and yet neither of them view each other in an explicitly religious way (although there could be an argument made for them worshiping each other in less of a generally religious and more of a mutual adoration sense).

Not much analysis going on here, I’m just thinking about them. Might write more on this later when I’m slightly more coherent and have fewer other things to do.

[cto10121]

Book Fiyero: *immediately recognizes Elphaba and stations himself at the backdoor to prevent her from evading him, stalks her halfway across town to her aerie (even though at that point in time she was only a college friend he hadn’t seen in five years), insists on seeing her again, instinctively goes to comfort her when she first cries, gets sucked into increasingly deep and fraught conversations with her about collateral damage and freedom fighter terrorism, calls her the “most individual, the most separate, the most real” DURING AN ARGUMENT, says he adores Elphaba’s looks IN THAT SAME ARGUMENT, doesn’t understand Elphaba’s “being born with a talent or an inclination for goodness is the aberration” comment because (implied) he sincerely believes Elphaba isn’t evil, changes his mind about the plight of the Animals all by himself but doesn’t mention it to Elphaba because he is afraid she would distance himself from him, buys scarves for both his wife and Elphaba even though only Elphaba likes scarves, is so concerned for Elphaba and her dangerous Lurlinemas Eve mission that he stalks her instead of staying at his club or just leaving town altogether, and is so worried about her that he returns to the aerie just to see her*

Also Book Fiyero: Am I in love with Elphaba?

[fabled-lady-twilla]

How it feels being a ShigaDeku shipper in this fandom. Why is everyone so mean? 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[sapphicslaylist]

I also want to point out!!! Not only were witches just general human people, but they were usually ones who were capable of taking care of themselves and treated as unconventional for their abilities outside of the church. The association with cats? Used to help hunt vermin and keep the house safe. Brooms? Literally just. Cleaning. Many did have apothecary knowledge but more in the style of just being able to heal small ailments; things which people would otherwise go to the church to pray over.

This is why Witch is incredibly unconventionally attractive. She’s more in touch with nature, living in hiding, essentially, with the way that her cabin is depicted (it’s more shaped like a cabin than actually looking like it/deliberately looks abandoned). You have willed her to appear more creature-like with your perception therein, but she is in fact still more human than you expect her to be. Also need to point out the body hair. Off-roading for one second to say that it was hella validating to see and I kinda screamed a bit realizing it wasn’t just shading? But moreso in context, body hair is still viewed of as beastly and dirty, when it’s literally just. A part of human physiology. And it is 100% used in this way to call out strange elements of exoticism.

AND I ALSO think it’s important to talk about the bridge over to Thorn in this context. Witch comments that “your tricks are all I’ve ever known,” and uses the blade to defend herself. She’s expecting to be hunted down eternally; that’s why she is so insistent on never letting you go, because you can’t be trusted to do anything that doesn’t benefit you (Thorn also. Directly calls this out but getting there). So when she’s been given kindness, she flips your perspective on you and shows you how it’s like to be preyed upon for no reason except existing. She didn’t expect you to crumple. She expected you to fight back. And really, honestly, watching her stand over your body with the blade in hand, horrified, is the first time when you truly see her as HUMAN.

So when the cycle repeats again, she tries again; based on elements which you are more accustomed. Her body is bleeding and feeble (I have. A lot of Thorn disability takes elsewhere), but aside from exhaustion, rampant magic & the torn dress is more or less conventionally beautiful. The body hair is gone, either due to being sheared off by the vines & open wounds or because of the fact you’re seeing her differently. Her face is more human unless you cross her (I personally believe the feline energy IS her default, but you didn’t care for that last time so she essentially glamours it/tucks the tail beneath the dress like Abby HCs), and the only really non-humanoid thing is the ears. She doesn’t have to disguise the magic anymore; you already know about that, so why would you? But being trapped by both the world and expecting betrayal yet again, she relinquishes control of it as it’s done nothing but hurt.

The ways in which chapter 1’s Feral Vessel/Proto Witch & Beast fights back is very much out of necessity to survive. One of the lines you can choose is that she doesn’t bear any magic; she merely ripped you apart using slightly upgraded nails and teeth. But as the story continues you have seen her as something she is not; a magical monster with the tenacity to kill. So naturally, with your perception making her who she is, that is who she becomes.

Witch’s overall *lore* is one of my favorites. Beast was really my first love in STP, but the whole setup of how convention and attraction works within Witch’s is truly one of the better ones imo. The soft princess is in the end a victim not prepared to fight back, expecting you to keep your word; and thus, she makes for some of the most interesting betrayals therein.

(Lmk if y’all want me to tackle Wild, too. I would but this addenum is already getting very long).

pls could someone explain why The Witch is named the Witch?? Like, I don't have a lot of culture so maybe Witch are associated with lying?? Like, The Tower is named The Tower because she towers over us, but the Witch doesn't make potions to poison us or something??