#but I'm doing some fun stuff with her character

[bobodemais]

hi, I would like to ask how the characters relate to each other in your au, what kind of relationship do they have

I'll try to resume as much as I can, since I'm not in the mood to be too much specific on each sprunki relationship... Althought I can be more specific on any sprunki duo that you guys want, just ask on inbox!!

CHARGES DOWN BELOW!!! (ALOT OF STUFF, with alot of orthography errors.)

First of all, everyone """kinda""" likes Tunner, but not in a way of him being a good person, but more an authoraty. (even though, there are some sprunkis that genuiely enjoy him, like Gray and erm... uhm... Sky?)

Wenda and Pinki really respect each other, not only as friends, but as both persons that increases on eachothers life in a good way. (Kinda, I imagine they like Marceline and Princess Bubblegum, but way less dramatic and with way less death involving it.)

Jevin and Pinki are kinda of "what you do is amazing, and you're and incredible person". Kinda simple, way much then you'd expect.

Jevin and Oren are kinda son and dad? Oren is just chill around with Him, somehow. Maybe it's 'cuz he's the only one that actually gets him.

Durple and Fun boy get to be amuzed by eachtoher everytime they have an conversation, even though they always talk, they still find an new thing about eachother everyday. (It has been 2 years already and they still learn from each other).

Wenda and Garnold are cousins.

Oren, Simon and Fun boy are brothes (Fun boy it's adopted)

Jevin and Tunner got to be the official responsibles of sky.

Garnold and Clurk takes care of fun boy (they see eachother as family now)

They just stare at each other on the street and get awkard.

Pinki and Oren date. Not even the other sprunkis know how due to Oren's personality.

Vineria and Owackx are married (exactly 1 year)

Clurk and Garnold are dating.

Oren and Raddy are queerbait.

Pinki and Wenda are dommed.

An untentional love triangle. I will not go any further on this.

It's kinda hard to see, but there ya go.

Pinki is besties with Wenda and Jevin. Although Jevin and Wenda knows are chill about it.

Raddy and Gray are good friends (they get eachother)

Jevin and Owackx are bffs, two chill guys that talk about life alot.

Tunner and Simon are one sided relationship.

Brud and Clurk are besties. (Garnold is a bit jealous)

Somehow Durple understands Simon better then anyone else (the coldest human vs the harmest robot)

Raddy is basically friends with everyone who's open enough to talk with.

Even though Vineria ain't bffs with neither Wenda or Pinki, she's still part of girl's grup.

Gray tries to be friends with people but alot of ppl thinks he's weird (poor guy it's just autistic...)

Sky is basically Tails, so everything envolving robotic amazes him. That's why he loves Durple.

Somehow the only actual friend Tunner has is Wenda. Heh....

Wenda 'n Simon are buds, sometimes they talk. They're pretty much chill.

Alot of beef. Most of sprunkis dislike Wenda and Simon.

Most reasons for W is 'cuz she is scary for them, for Oren it's 'cuz he's an asshole.

Pinki and Tunner mutually dislike eachother, but for 0 reasons.

Like I said before, Oren it's kinda of an emotionall asshole who kinda hates everything and everyone. (He basically have a beef with everyone)

Everyone fears Wenda. Like I said, there ain't an reason further then "she's weird".

Even though Vineria is friends with pinki, she fears what she can do (lore, not going any further on this topic).

Sky just doesn't get a good vibe from Pinki.

Vineria kinda fears Jevin, he's way too chill and sweet about everything, he looks more mystherious than he actually pretend to be (only on her perspective...)

Tunner CAN'T feel safe around most sprunkis. He's terrified with the idea of anyone getting an deep conection with him. Even though this idea is impossible (since he still tries to talk genuiely with a very few sprunkis) he's still pretty much reserved "Trust no one and you'll never get in danger".

No one really got to know Tunner better. And with all of that, he's still somehow pretty sociable.

+ EXTRA!!!111!!

Uhm. Yeah? it's literally it. Besides from respect, family and neutral. They relationship is pretty much complicated to say at least (on this alternative reality of course) 0_0

That's it! Hope you have enjoyed.

Remember, if you want any of those sprunkis to interact, send the request on inbox <3

[judgeanon]

So How About That Batgirl #3

I didn't transplant my review of #2 here because there wasn't that much more to say, especially in regards to Lady Shiva (which is always the most important part of any comic with her in it for me) but #3, hooo boy, there's a lot to talk about for this one.

It introduces, or maybe just expands, a concept that kinda had me feeling a bit nervous but eventually won me over, and still has room for some fun narrative trickery. So I'm gonna go ahead and post my full review of the issue down here:

Picking off where #2 left off, #3 starts with Shiva and Cass on a train heading out of Gotham to meet some allies in their fight against the unburied. And Cass is noooot happy about it.

These opening pages follow the same character dynamic we've seen so far, with Cass openly rejecting her mother's remarks while inwardly rejecting her mother in general -- her inner monologue constantly reassuring herself that Shiva is a lonely manipulative monster while Cass is a good person, clearly to try to chase away the guilt of leaving everyone behind. The desperation in Cass' inner voice to paint Shiva as an unredeemable monster is very palpable and very good in the face of everything that's happened so far.

But the next pages made me a little concerned, with Shiva berating Cass while goading her about her relation with the batfamily. And while we've seen Shiva take jabs at that before, notably in Hill's Outsiders, back then it felt more pointed (and a little meta, what with the whole "He won't even let you be Batgirl" thing), while here Shiva's comments on languages, while true in a way, felt more openly cruel. Bordering on villainous.

Had the issue stayed this way, I would've been very worried about this whole arc turning into yet another milquetoast "Evil bio mom, good found family" yarn. But then the track switches.

The lion's share of the issue is dedicated to introducing the survivors of the Order of Shiva, who have dedicated thier lives not to just worship the deadliest hands on Earth, but to study, learn & better themselves through her example. Which is an idea that could've gone very wrong. Personally? I think this is kinnnnnda neat. Mostly.

The thing is, I've never been a fan of Shiva having any kind of cult or organization built around her. I think it's the kind of stuff that can weigh her down and, at worst, just be used to make her more of a pure villain, like in Dixon's RICHAR DRAGON run. But in this issue, the idea slowly won me over with how Brombal uses it to explore two overlooked aspects of Shiva:

The first is that Shiva, at her best, tends to inspire others. Just by entering a person's life, Shiva, tends to change their perceptions of reality, of what's possible. When Shiva entered Vic's life, she indirectly got him to question a lot of things about how he viewed reality. Same with Dinah and, yes, Cass herself. And this order seems to be entirely built on that idea of Shiva as someone who makes people rethink everything (albeit with way more altruism than Shiva herself).

The other thing this whole scene explores is Shiva's dualities and seeming contradictions, her nature as both destroyer and restorer. Which is something I'm always happy to see, especially nowadays. But this is also where my one big problem with this issue lies: it pays a lot of lip service to Shiva as a healer without actually showing it.

A mention is made of Cass rejecting Shiva's help, but an actual moment of Shiva using her healing skills, to me, would've really helped support High Priest's Jayesh gushing praise of that dual nature.

Just a couple of panels of her doing some funky pressure point head massage, it's all I'm asking.

Beyond that, I do have one nitpick that's just about the one thing that keeps me from fully embracing this idea, and that's Shiva's level of involvement with the order. Jayesh drops a hint of how he met Shiva, and she seems to care at least a little for him and for the Order, but there's not a lot said about how much she helped them build and maintain it.

If they're all people who ran into her, had their minds opened and built an order around their idea of her, that's one thing. If she helped them build it then that's another. Her small moments of caring do seem to indicate she's also warmed up to them, which would suggest some relatively high involvement, which I don't really like. I'd much prefer the order being something that Shiva is aware of but keeps at arm's length, a bunch of well-intentioned groupies that, like the issue says, follow her example rather than her orders. The bottom line is that I don't like anything that Shiva seems to be too attached to, but even if she was, I'm still mostly OK with this idea.

Anyway, the final leg of the issue is dedicated to a very entertaining chase and fight across the rest of the train that's a delight to see. And while my copy's all digital, I imagine it's way better in paper. Miyazawa and Spicer clearly have a lot of fun with these pages and it continues the run's interesting dynamic of Cass and Shiva never being fully in sync during a fight, always fighting each other as much as whoever's all around them.

But apart from the action, the thing that rang a lot of bells for me was Cass' narration as it insists again that Shiva is nothing but a monster and that Cass is nothing like her, eventually flowing towards a very heroic list of all her family members and their core traits that's very nice and heartwarming... and desperate.

Because the narration in this scene all reads to me like Cass arguing with herself. It reads desperately like her trying to chase away the dual thoughts that her mother may not be a complete monster AND that she herself, Cass, really is a lot like her mother.

Hell, the scene is literally Cass running away from Shiva, punching through what she sees as undisputable proof of her mother's lies while checklisting the family she does want and love, physically and mentally fighting against even the possibility of Shiva being worthy of more than her disgust. It's not Cass rejecting Shiva for being evil, it's her trying to reject the evidence that she may have something resembling good in her.

So the whole thing takes a very heroic cliche, Cass naming all these loved one to give her strength, and turns into a flailing flurry of mental gymnastics from Cass to allow herself to keep rejecting Shiva, to maintain this inner image of her as a monster while refusing any connection with her. And it's all pretty compelling stuff.

The issue then ends with one final surprise as Cass runs into the rest of Shiva's allies: a resurrected Nyssa Al-Ghul, Angel Breaker and a brand new character we'll apparently learn more about next month. So yeah, this was an interesting issue. The pacing of the arc is still a bit slow, but with all the players (hopefully) at the table and three issues to go, I hope the rest of the arc will pick up steam and keep chugging along smoothly.

I wasn't expecting the Order of Shiva to get much more play after #1. I certainly wasn't expecting them to get expanded like this. And I definitely didn't expect it to win me over this much. Minor quibbles aside, I gotta give props to Brombal for the obvious thought he's put when laying down these tracks for Shiva, and I'm definitely in for the rest of the ride.

(then again, maybe I'm just being blinded by the intense relatability of my man Jayesh over here. I feel you, brother. Hope you survive this arc)

[elsa-fogen]

I WANNA BODYSWAP EPISODE IN WINX REBOOT

FOR THE SAKE OF MORE SILLY SHENANIGANS

Okay so there's 3 possible ways it could be done

1. winx swap bodies inside the group.

This one (to me) is the most boring options, but it can be good episode. Since Bloom is the main character, we see most of events through her perspective, and that would be a great way to learn more about other girls. However, to me it's not that interesting since this doesn't involve the Trix. That's why...

2. a. Bloom and Icy swap bodies

yeah. That would be fun to see Bloom trying not to be recognised by Darcy and Stormy. Bonus points, Icy is trying to imitate Bloom in her body. Also, question, how their magic would work. Like, Does Icy in Bloom's body have her ice magic or Bloom's fire magic?

So, i see the episode can be like. Starts with the Trix trying to do some shit (maybe a spell that would swap powers with Bloom, like, another way to get the dragon flame), then Winx doing something and Bloom feels something and decides to go to sleep early. Next morning Icy wakes up, but it's actually Bloom in her body. We witness normal morning routine of the Trix, while Bloom is trying to act like Icy, but also she has no idea how Icy acts when she's only around Darcy and Stormy, so the two notice that "Icy" is acting weird.

They get to the class, and they see "Bloom" surrounded by other Winx and she has the most murderous expression on her face that was ever seen. "Icy" and "Bloom" look at each other and realise that they actually swapped.

I'm not sure about how THEY would do this, but i imagine that Icy alone meets the Trix and tells Darcy and Stormy what happened and they'd be like "Yeah, that explains it". Then she say's that she's going to look in the library for a spell to reverse it, while the Trix have to do some stuff? I'm not sure, but they have reasons why they can't help with that. And this can be resolved in one day or in few days. For second option there's a possibility for some funny stuff where Icy has to pretend to be Bloom more, like, the winx had planned some party, or it's Bloom's birthday (or any other winx i guess), something that Icy can't miss.

In any case, winx notice that "Bloom" isn't herself, and they decide to follow her. And in the middle of the night "Bloom" goes to the forest, and when she meets the Trix, the winx get everything wrong and attack the witches, trying to protect "Bloom"

In the end they're probably getting caught by adults and they swap Bloom and Icy back to normal, and ask if anyone has any idea why this happened, and explain that it was very dark and forbidden spell, and if it was anyone of them they're in trouble. The Trix say that they have no idea what happened and stuff (lying), and Faragonda says that if it wasn't any of them, it means that they got a very dangerous enemy and episode ends.

Kinda messy, but with enough polishing it could be very interesting episode.

2.b same story, but Bloom changes bodies with Darcy or Stormy. Probably "Bloom" tells Icy what happened, and Icy has to act normal and pretend that she doesn't notice anything weird. or she may tell her right away and say something like "don't worry we'll change you back" but like with some hidden intent (of stealing Bloom's power ofc lol), then the rest goes the same way.

3. of the winx change with 3 of the trix

the funniest one to me.

long holidays, something like that mother day in old winx club, aisha/leyla, flora and tecna leave alfea, stella, bloom and musa stayed. And they decided to try and spy on the trix to learn their plans. They were going to cast a spell that would let them see what the trix are doing, but they made a mistake and instead they swapped bodies with them. Bloom with Icy, Stella with Darcy and Musa with Stormy.

wow i got actually matching swaps, and when i was choosing the winx to stay, i was judging by their background, their reasons to stay/go home. Like, Bloom stayed because she's from earth, Stella stayed because of her parents divorce process, and Musa stayed because dead mom. yeah (this also could be Aisha actually)

so, the fun part: they don't know that all three of them changed, so they're all trying to act like the Trix and also learn some plans. None of then knows any plans. So i imagine, Bloom finds some notes in Icy's schedule and there's something like "tell Darcy and Stormy about new plan", but no notes about any plans at all - Icy keeps everything in her mind and never makes any notes, because she has paranoia and Bloom is like DANG IT what the plan could be??? She comes up with some (stupid and naive) plan, and tells about it "Darcy" and "Stormy" on their meeting, and for real Darcy and Stormy it would be obvious that it's not Icy's plan, but for Stella and Musa it's convincing enough.

Meanwhile the Trix in Bloom, Setella and Musa's bodies are trying to make impression of the fairies, but failing miserably.

Oh, Aisha could've stayed too, but she didn't want to take part in that spell, so she didn't swap with anyone, and she has to witness this mess and be like "what's up with yall today?"

More fun shenanigans of the winx trying of be the trix, bloom finds in Icy's schedule that she was planning to do "the plan" today, and has to lead "Darcy" and "Stormy" on it. Maybe they're getting in some argument trying to imitate the Trix. Cut to the Trix trying to be as sweet as they can with each other, imitating how they imagine the winx, and saying "please" and "thank you" 20 times in one sentence. Aisha (if she's there) side eyes them non-stop.

The spell has expiration date, or a trigger, first one is easier, second one is funnier (the trigger could be the touch).

OH ALSO remember from the leaks that the Trix aren't working just for themselves there's also that grindevald-wannabe guy, and he may make an appearance and be like what the fuck are you doing, how long should i wait before i get that dragon flame, and the winx be like oh shi. "Icy" aka Bloom in her body (scared as fuck) says that she's got a plan, and the guy says that he's had enough of her plans, he wants results, maybe threatens them and leaves.

yeah. Bloom may even feel pity for the Trix (Also i just really wanna see innocent and scared Bloom's expression on Icy's face, that would be cute af)

(This also can lead to the Trix being forgiven in the end of the season, because Bloom witnessed that they were forced to do "everything" and the Trix are like "yeah yeah, thats right we didn't want any of it, it was all The Guy who made us do all the bad stuff, we're actually good and never wanted to hurt anyone" (lying))

so yeah. Give me the bodyswap episode!!! Cliches are cliches for a reason!!!

[aisquaredchoco]

24 screenshots thingy

Hey, @nornities, thank you for the shoutout! I really do appreciate being tagged/mentioned in posts, so yes, I will happily comply with what is asked: collecting my 24 best screenshots and share them. ^_^

So yeah, apparently it's mostly consisiting of my simself and her two kitties, who in real life sadly both crossed the rainbow bridge (playing with them in TS3 is the only way to be with them). When I'm too distracted from testing the stuff I made, I go play with these three and I'm having fun with all the cat stuff the two felines are doing.

And sometimes I also visit my Evansdale County save from time to time, where it's mostly populated by Final Fantasy 8 characters I remade in TS3. (Notice my avatar sim--Pinkie Pie joining Selphie in dinnertime. Her and Selphie's personalities seem close enough so I made them mother and daughter in my game).

Also some Sunset Valley gameplay featuring Gobias Koffi who I gave a kitty to adopt.

And a would have been preview for a TS2 object I converted..

I guess I'm also too late for this and everyone seemed to have done this already, so I wouldn't go tagging people. But consider yourself tagged if you also feel doing it..

[inimitablereel]

2024 vid recs

Under the cut, recs for vids I saw last year that were published in 2024. Since it's already January I am cutting myself off and making a list from things I've already seen and loved but inevitably there is so much more out there and I would love to see recs from everyone else! Fandoms include dungeon meshi, wheel of time, the general concept of time loops, several miscellaneous cdramas, and other random stuff I personally like

Dungeon Meshi

what are the rules for breakfast today by @dykealloy - anime only action heavy ensemble vid that's just full of energy and a bop!

MONSTER and OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE by @mynnthia - two super short manga vids about Falin (but I'm pretty sure that this is manga from before where the anime cuts off rn if you're avoiding manga spoilers but not the manga in general) - this does SUCH cool animation with the lyrics and the manga panels the movement is so dynamic and well matched with the song and fun to watch

Eat It by @allegoriestamvs - this is exactly what it sounds like, a goofy fun vid about food in the dungeon meshi anime, which much like the show itself packs in more characterization than you'd expect given the silliness

Kiss Me Dungeon Lord by @sevenangrybees - manga vid that is full of delicious delicious spoilers don't watch this if you haven't finished the manga. But if you have the parallels!!! The original post for this vid has been sitting in my drafts for ages because I Needed to rewatch it (I still need to rewatch it there's a lot in there)

Wheel of Time

best friend by @thiswildernessismyhome - Moraine&Lan vid that is just a real bop. Friendship!!! Really fun movement to watch in a fighting as dancing kind of way! Also some incredible anachronistic lyric matches

put on a show by stardust_rain - another bop! but about Lanfear so it's a more evil bop :D some really fun stuttery editing that gives it a real groove

What's Up by cosmic_llin - Moraine character study - I do think of this song as kind of a meme song but it's taken VERY seriously in this vid and it's perfect for Moraine - it does make me sad about her

Velodrome by stardust_rain - aes sedai focused. This really leans into how beautiful this show is, lots of gorgeous visual parallels and also another one that makes me sad about how aes sedai are very constricted despite being very powerful

Time Loops

Okay so this time loops section is one multi-fandom vid and several Reset vids but whatever, I love time loops

Do What You Want by cupidsbow - this is SUCH a cool multi-time-loop vid - it really gets into the nihilism inherent in time loops

And Do It Again by @rhea314 - Reset - a bop! This combines extremely fun boppy music (and fun boppy movement editing) with dying repeatedly which is the kind of incongruity I love

one wrong turn by @marquisguyun - Reset - this one you probably are better off having watched the show for because it really leans into the parallels with everyone on the bus' story and how one moment can lead to death in a time loop

Everything Else :p

queer cinema - pink pony club by @finalgirlguy This pulled in SO much queer cinema, much of which I haven't seen (and now want to), but even without knowing all the source it's a real testament to queer joy and so fun to watch

Trust+Fall by @sandalwoodbox (fandom: Romeo+Juliet) I was not expecting to be sad about Romeo and Juliet, like the characters not the whole play. We all know how this one ends and they're just dumb teens or whatever but ugh this vid was SO upsetting (positive, love to be sad about a tragedy)

Hell or High Water by dkwilliams (fandom: Word of Honor) This vid takes the plot of WoH seriously and draws a ton of beautiful thematic parallels and turns it into a more coherent arc than the show imo. This made me sad about, well, you know the dead people, but also everyone in the jianghu.

Thunder City by @bingeling (fandom: DMBJ: Reboot) Really beautiful aesthetic vid leaning into creepy tomb stuff with a ton of silence and diegetic audio. This is one of those vids that is so impressive to me on a technical what you can do with the medium level (and also just really cool to watch), would highly recommend with/without fandom knowledge. To do the equivalent of a bookstore readalike, fans of the older multi-dmbj show vid Aspara Calling may enjoy this (and vice versa)

Joyride by @himemeiya (fandom: utena movie) extremely fun, very short, sometimes you gotta lean into wtf is the utena movie

this Nirvana in Fire vid by @zhoudadudugongjin I love NiF vids that are goofy but also saying something real about the show. In this case that real thing is MCS will break your heart :D

Boys in the Ocean by @rhea314 (fandom: Fire Island) I'm bookending these miscellaneous recs with queer joy. This vid just made me grin the whole time - it captures all the fun goofy moments and also all the cute moments of this movie and also is a bop!

Also going to put a blanket rec for the four festivids for Bound (including mine!) here - they were all really beautiful and extremely sexy (do mind the tags)

FYI I've decided to leave out the vampires (specifically ones being interviewed, though I also haven't included any snowfall or fangs of fortune vids here) - I haven't seen the source material and while I have seen several rad vids, I feel unprepared to give recs based on the random things that have crossed my radar. But there's a lot of cool vids out there, if you like iwtv definitely go looking for vids

[iamnmbr3]

Let me start by saying that I adore your meta. It's some of the most thorough, well-reasoned hp analysis I've come across & you have a talent for tenderly mining and polishing canon connections I've never considered. You've put into words so many of my feelings about drarry, hinny, and the characters as a whole -- why I love them, why I struggle with them, and why they still compel me after all these years. I'm slowly chipping away at your blog and won't stop until I get to page 1 I've found myself very taken with the Slytherins lately--especially characters like Millicent and Daphne, who are either offhand names or caricatures, as well as some of the older Slytherins we see mentioned, who seem to stay largely out of the war (or at least aren't important enough to it for a mention). There are a lot of widely accepted fanon personalities/interpersonal dynamics for the Slytherins, and they're always fun to delve into. But I often find myself struggling to separate canon from fanon. Do you have any thoughts on what we can extrapolate about the Slytherins in canon (apart from "mean, ugly, & stupid/vapid" as jkr describes nearly every Slytherin but Draco)? And if not, do you have any blogs/posts to recommend on the topic?

Wow. What can I even say. I've been staring at this ask since I received it feeling so warmed by your words. Thank you very much for such high compliments. It always thrills me to hear that people get some enjoyment/mental stimulation out of this blog and that my little ramblings are of interest to others.

To some extent, since the other Slytherins aren't that well developed (due to the fact that Harry was too busy constantly staring at Draco to notice anything about them - I mean he literally doesn't even know Theodore Nott's NAME till he sees him spending more time with Draco) there's a lot of room for people to come up with their own interpretations of their personalities.

That said, there is some info in canon we can go off of. For example, we see Pansy hanging out with Draco a lot more than Millicent or Daphne. We also know that none of their parents were Death Eaters. And given that Millicent and Daphne seem to stay away from Draco more later, maybe their families aren't quite as into the whole blood purist stuff as Pansy and her family are. Especially Daphne does not seem to really participate in any of the bullying we see a lot of the Slytherins take part in.

Personally, I always headcannoned that Daphne never liked Draco very much and that while she did hold some anti-muggle and anti-muggleborn biases (similar to those held by most of the wizarding world), her attitudes were more on the level of those held by Fudge or Crouch and she never actually went in for any of the extremist blood purist beliefs or supported the Death Eaters or even had attitudes as extreme as Walburga Black (who thought the Death Eaters mostly had the right idea even if they went about it the wrong way). I also think she didn't much like the pettier behaviors Draco engaged in - the boasting, the bullying, the mockery, not to mention the weird Potter obsession - (or that the people Draco hung out with engaged in). I think she probably found him stuck up and arrogant and vaguely unsavory and tended to avoid him, even if she wasn't as horrified or enraged by him using slurs like Mudblood as someone like Ron or Harry would be.

I like the idea that after the war she and her sister changed their minds about their beliefs about muggles and muggleborns - even if they were never quite as extreme to begin with as those held by some. I headcanon that they two of them were both back at Hogwarts during Draco's 8th year - and that they actually ended up striking up a friendship - once the realized that he'd changed. After all, they were housemates for years. Plus they ran in similar social circles. And they all changed their minds, so that's a common bond. Daphne tells Draco point blank that she always thought he was a stuck up twat and Draco agrees that he was, which breaks the ice.

As for Pansy, I actually think she was more of a hanger on than a true friend. I thinks he and Draco drifted apart in 7th year. I don't especially like characterizations that whitewash the bad things she did - either the bullying or the bigotry or the "rying to hand harry in to Voldemort thing - or that turn her into some ooc mary sue girlboss with no personality other than being a genius who is great at everything and also getting to be mean with no consequences because she's so cool so no one cares I guess. That's not to say I don't enjoy fics with Draco/Pansy friendship if it's done right. But yeah, based on actual canon I see her moving on to the next person once Draco's fortunes were shown to have irrevocably fallen by book 7. Plus it's arguable that she always expected to marry Draco since he was the best match (thru book 6 anyway) but that she always secretly harbored feelings for Blaise. And after the war she got to act on that. After all, in the train scene in book 6 she seems awfully interested in what girls Blaise likes.

For Millicent we have even less. We know she was a bully. I don't like seeing that ignored or seeing her girlbossified. I do like the idea of her going thru her own little redemption arc and trying to make something of herself. I also imagine that she and Draco kind of drifted apart though. I think she ever became a completely nice person, but I like the idea of her apologizing to Hermione and them ending up at the Ministry together and kind of tolerating each other - just one of the many instances of strange, uncomfortable relationships that pop up in the post-war wizarding society as it tries to put itself together.

As for Crabbe & Goyle, I really hate how often fandom seems to forget or gloss over the fact that both of them were actively participating in torturing other students and seemingly very into it. I think the way Draco treated them - as henchmen/servants - always grated on them but they accepted it due to the relative statuses of their families. When the power dynamic between them shifts though, starting book 6 but really post book 6, they seem to revel in Draco's degradation and fall from grace (and we even see hints of that earlier, like them laughing when Draco gets beaten up by Harry in book 5 and not intervening). I find that super fascinating, and I think they are darker, more twisted characters than people tend to give them credit for. Given all this, I don't see Draco and Goyle staying friends post war and I never get why Goyle having been an enthusiastic participant in the Death Eaters' crimes (in a way that Draco never was) so often gets forgotten. Usually post war he gets reduced to a simple minded sad boi who Draco needs to look after. And I'm just like ??? Where?? Especially given that the alternative provides so much more interesting story fodder.

[justajollyclown]

Here are some of my favorites I've watched (more like finally watched lmao) in 2024:

Self-explanatory 🤡🎀

I love Christmas horror! It's such a niche genre and I feel like a lot of horror fans don't want to give it a chance.

Black Christmas is a classic so it's a must watch. It's one of the oldest ones on my list which just proves that it really is holding up well after more than 50 years! There's no blood or gore (a lot of R rated language tho) so it's a plus if you like your horror without those. I really liked the atmosphere in this one, it's both very festive and anxiety inducing. Really liked the characterization too, most characters feel like real people. Also Olivia Hussey??? HELLO?? It's a must watch just because of this Queen alone ❤️. Silent Night Deadly Night again another classic! Before watching this one I read about it being almost banned because it was too gory, but to be honest it's not that bad people! It's actually kinda corny but still a very fun watch. Compared to Black Christmas this one is definitely more of a slasher Christmas film though so expect some low budget filmmaking. However, Robert Brian Wilson totally slayed (literally and figuratively) as Billy.

Christmas Evil is imo one of those "so bad it's good" films. It's my guilty pleasure Christmas slasher just because it's sooo audacious? The stuff that happens in this film is so insane the writers must've been on something 😭. The main protagonist, Harry, is a middle-aged toy-factory worker who wants to BE Santa Claus. He spies on the neighborhood kids and writes "naughty" and "nice" lists. At one point, Harry steals a ton of toys and just starts giving them out to kids on Christmas. The plot sounds so simple but the film is just so surreal, it feels like a fever dream. Honestly, it's the AUDACITY for me. This plot is SUPER corny but idk it just works and the film is unintentionally hilarious.

Won't babble too much about these, I should've watched them ages ago. Sleepy Hollow was more enjoyable than I thought! For some reason, Tim Burton's films aren't really my thing but this was a nice surprise because it DOES feel very Burtonesque? It's more of a "10yr olds first scary movie" but idc, I got scared a few times lmao. American Psycho truly is the DIVA of horror. Enough said 💅.

I don't even know if The Menu can be classified as horror, even though it has a lot of horror elements. Still I really liked it! I thought the premise was unique and well executed (no pun intended). There's also a nice little twist at the end so I really recommend it! Also, Anya Taylor-Joy ❤️.

Not me shivering while watching The Conjuring 😭. I swear this is the ONLY horror film that has actually done that to me! Horror films with religious undertones really do spook me the most I guess. The sound design is PHENOMENAL in this one, so if you like to get scared I really recommend this one (I've watched the second film in the series but the first Conjuring is still way more spooky). Smile was also a pleasant surprise. A friend recommended it to me even though we have vastly different taste. I'm not really the psychological horror type but Smile really was solid! I know this is an unpopular opinion but Smile 2 kinda pales in comparison to 1 in my opinion. The reason I liked the first so much was because it looked so gritty and ofc the reveal of the monster was at the very end for just a few minutes. I feel like the protag being a psychiatrist and still not being able to deal with her inner turmoil contributed more to the monster's scare factor. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Naomi Scott's performance, I think she really deserves all the praise, but the second film kinda felt more cartoonish to me? I think it might be because of the abundance of jumpscares and the CGI was everywhere so the monster ended up looking more goofy in my eyes (like- creepypasya tier goofy). Smile 2 was still an okay film but I def recommend the first one!

favorite horror films you watched in 2024? here are mine:

i really started getting into horror this year but in 2025 i will have more movies 😋

tagging @dominionatrix @artsfavoritehorn @xenoanamorph @justajollyclown @evilvvithin @garlic-the-gnome @fatal-feast @aviesaurusrex @clownyclaushoe @thatspookyghoul996 @milescounty & anyone else who wants to participate <3

[sskk-manifesto]

Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple and how “ability users” (opposite to “normal people”) learning to accept themselves through the acceptance of their own abilities is a queer metaphor of acceptance of own's sexual orientation and gender: an essay by me

[galactic-rhea]

Thoughts on Padmé x Anakin x Rex?

Padmé and Anakin are so mutually obssesed they would first have to check into that before trying to bring another person to their carefully-balanced-kind-of-damage or something it's going to explode.

Honestly it's a fun ship! But I don't have too many thoughts about them because when I consider them is usually in very low-stakes-fun-AU-scenarios.

And I'm actually a bit of a fan of Rexwalker myself! Athough I tend to like them more as very good buddies, the covering-for-you-dynamic it's so funny for them, lol It's also angsty and complicated because, y'know, the power-imbalance and unchecked trauma? Is funny that the clone that's actually a slave for the republic is the most normal if you bring him into the anidala romance circus.

Also shout out to @phoenixyfriend , she has a lot of rexanidala fics and recs for anyone interested reading this!

[disposal-blueeee]

halloween thing i drew for an art trade with @cherry-207 ! she asked for edgar and scri dressed as angel and devil . you can see her part here !

edgar vargas belongs to jhonen vasquez

scriabin belongs to @zarla-s

[buttercup-art]

hey

[namazunomegami]

"But I can't know God's intentions... How could it depend on my decision... Who made me a judge of who shall live and who shall not?" - Crime and Punishment

[yo-yo-yoshiko]

Finally, Jin and J (do not separate!!)! Our beloved drunk uncles, indeed.

[batfamfucker]

Appreciation post for 'girly girl' characters and/or shows that celebrate traditionally feminine things that girls and women are shamed for.

Characters on this list that love makeup, fashion, hair, etc. Characters that are still written as strong, intelligent, brave, etc. That told young girls that these interests are valid, they are not lesser interests. Being feminine and liking traditionally feminine things does not make them weak.

[unknown-lifeformthatdraws]

Random oc stuff

Her name is Mariana but she gets Sasha James'd very quickly so it's not like anyone will remember her haha

(Taglist under the cut)

@abluehappyface @possibly-eli @the-cinnamon-snail @pinelo-hearts @katherann227

@bloodiedbyers @lysergidedaydreams

[midnightrings]

Siena and her opera performances - a short character study

So, I thought I might share a short little analysis of the operas Siena performed, as I’ve not seen anything like this on here before and I’ve spent some time digging into those operas for my fanfics.

I want to post a whole character analysis of Siena at some point, but the operas play an important part in highlighting Siena’s character and her relationship with Anthony, so I thought it might be interesting to dig a bit deeper into those performances. Especially when it comes to a character like her (who barely got any screentime), those few seconds of her performing make a nice addition and add some depth to her character and storyline.

I won't focus much on the opera Siena performs in episode 1 – Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride – as it's not as interesting as the other two, because there doesn’t seem to be much of a connection to Siena’s character or her relationship with Anthony per se. Unlike the other operas, the focus in this scene is clearly not on her – she’s mostly just in the background, with two very short closeups, so we see that it’s her that is performing on stage. There is a deleted scene between her and Anthony according to the published script of that episode:

However, while I think that deleted scenes and such can make for interesting footnotes during an analysis/interpretation, I don’t like taking them too much into consideration – after all, there might be a good reason why this was deleted.

So the actual scene we see doesn’t really highlight anything in regards to Siena’s characters besides the fact that she’s an opera singer and that this is one of the only times we see her wear some brighter colors – while she’s on stage, playing a character. The other two operas she performs in episode 3 and 4 are much more focused on her character and storyline, especially her performance of I Capuleti e i Montecchi in 1.03 – this is the only time we see her perform without any of the other cast members present.

However, that’s not the only difference between Iphigénie en Tauride and the other operas. I Capuleti e i Montecchi and Les contes d'Hoffmann are also anachronistic. Iphigénie en Tauride premiered 1779, while I Capuleti e i Montecchi premiered in 1830 and Les contes d'Hoffmann in 1881.

People tend to make fun of historical inaccuracies or dismiss them as mistakes, but most times, anachronism is on purpose. I think it’s safe to assume that everyone working on this has been aware that those operas would not premiere until decades after season 1. The operas were clearly chosen for a reason.

Les contes d'Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach (1881)

Les contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) tells the story of Hoffmann, who choses to give up on love and devotes his life to art and poetry instead. It's based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, and some are probably familiar with the movie, but just to roughly summarize (also because there’s some important differences): At the beginning of the story, a prima donna named Stella invites Hoffmann to a meeting in her dressing room after her performance. Before the meeting, Hoffmann recounts his past great loves to his students. The opera consists of three acts, each telling the story of one of Hoffmann’s previous loves. After recollecting his stories of heartbreak, The Muse can convince Hoffmann to give his love to her (poetry) instead of visiting Stella.

There are many parallels to Siena and her relationship with Anthony here. The most obvious one is the prima donna part – Stella represents Siena. While there might not be direct similarities within the story or between Anthony and Hoffmann, the ending to Hoffmann’s story is still in some parts similar to Anthony’s. The opera ends with Hoffmann declaring that he doesn’t want to love anymore – which sounds quite similar to what Anthony says at the end of season 1.

Siena is obviously not performing the entire opera – we only see her sing “Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour” as the courtesan Giulietta – who tries to fool Hoffmann into falling in love with her.

Storytelling-wise, it obviously does not fit Siena’s story at this point – she is not trying to fool Anthony into falling in love with her, quite the opposite. Though it does work well as a juxtaposition, especially when we see Siena noticing Anthony’s stares and she slips out of her role. There’s a clear contrast here between her performing as a devious courtesan and looking almost flustered as a result of Anthony’s gaze.

And although Siena at that point doesn’t want to seduce Anthony in any way, the piece still beautifully represents the actual scene that takes places here: Anthony longingly staring at her the very moment he recognizes her voice – almost as if under a spell (a very horny spell). Even when Violet tries to distract him, he cannot help but look in Siena’s direction. He’s completely enthralled by her here – similarly to how Hoffmann was enthralled by Giulietta. And similarly, both relationships are doomed to end unhappily.

Adding onto that, this is also the only time that we see Siena on stage where she represents exactly who she is: a courtesan. During the other two performances, she’s wearing bright, pastel gowns – very different from her usual style. The costume she wears here is also different from her usual style, which is fairly plain otherwise – but it does highlight the role she plays within society.

I find it quite interesting that this is the only time we see Anthony and Siena interact with one another during one of her performances – and one of the only times we see them interact in public altogether. This scene clearly shows the class difference between them: Anthony attending a ball as the lord he is, while Siena performs for everyone else’s entertainment, playing a seductive courtesan. They are present at the same place, yet they can’t talk to one another – there is an invisible wall between them which is highlighted by the positions they take within that scene as well as the clothes they wear. Had Siena performed any other part of that opera, she would probably have worn a pretty gown and those differences would not nearly be as noticeable. But she’s performing as a courtesan and as a result, this might be the most visible representation of her and Anthony’s differences and main conflict.

Returning to the actual story of the opera: At the end, Hoffmann explains how his three previous loves – Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta – all represent Stella. They show different aspects of the prima donna: the musician, the young girl and the courtesan. As I said, Stella represents Siena, and so do all of the other characters. In this scene, we see her visually represented as the courtesan. The show highlights this several times, especially during episode 3 when she talks to Genevieve and then later visits the gentlemen’s club and is inviting Simon to join her the next evening. Her need to find a keeper that can protect her and provide for her plays an essential role within her storyline.

Then, she’s obviously also a musician – a good amount of her scenes consist of her performances, and her character is defined by those performances. And, in the end, she’s also a young girl – and the show ensures to highlight that part as well. Through showcasing her vulnerability and emotions, we can see that she is not that different from the other young women in the show, like Daphne and Marina. They are all young, dealing with heartbreak and making decisions to secure their future. And this is in my opinion what sets Bridgerton apart from other stories of its genre. Usually, a character like Siena would only be the musician and courtesan – either sidelined or vilified. The show humanizes her, however, by granting her screentime to show her pain and struggles and even, to some extent, her innocence – which is especially well done during her performance in 1.03.

I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Vincenzo Bellini (1830)

As you can probably guess by the title, I Capuleti e i Montecchi tells the story of Romeo and Juliet. I don’t think there’s a need to summarize the story, and I also think it’s pretty clear why this particular opera was chosen: Romeo and Juliet originated the star-crossed lovers trope – which is the exact trope Siena and Anthony would fall under.

There are many things I love about that scene – it’s just all around a brilliant scene, not just in relation to Siena’s character. Though I will obviously only focus on how it relates to her character here.

The aria Siena performs is “Oh! quante volte” – Juliet waiting for Romeo, begging for him to come for her. It’s quite emotional and allows for Siena’s character to express her own emotions throughout her performance.

First, I adore how beautifully this ties in with the next scene. For one, because it sets up the atmosphere and essence of Siena and Anthony’s relationship – the tragedy of it all. The scene with Anthony in Siena’s dressing room underlines how this is not meant to be a love story with a happy ending, and the performance right before that amplifies this. Their story is doomed to end unhappily. And, similar to Romeo and Juliet, it is not merely a tragic story about love – it’s a story about the dangers of defying societal norms and duties and your own identities within that society.

But the dressing room scene also shows the clear differences between both stories. When Anthony visits her, Siena choses to reject him. She might have been emotional during her performance, but when Anthony showed his face, Siena did not act based on emotions but was very much rational in her words and actions. Because Anthony is not Romeo, and Siena is also not Juliet.

I also love how this performance builds a beautiful contrast to Les contes d'Hoffmann. Instead of a courtesan, Siena is playing an ingenue, wearing a pretty gown and looking all around sweet and innocent.

As the opera is in Italian, Juliet is obviously called Giulietta – just like the courtesan from Les contes d'Hoffmann. I have no idea whether this has been an accident or was done on purpose, but it’s a wonderful parallel. In both operas, she’s playing two very different women who happen to share the same name.

It underlines the differences between both roles but also draws a connection – which is Siena’s character.

By society, Siena is seen as the Giulietta from Les contes d'Hoffmann: the courtesan whose intentions are dubious and malicious. When Siena performs as I Capuleti e i Montecchi’s Giulietta, we can see a more vulnerable side of her as she openly cries on stage. We see her heartbroken and emotional, letting her guard down completely for a moment. In the end, it’s merely a performance. But Siena uses this performance to allow herself vulnerability – a vulnerability she is not usually allowed.

Those different performances do an excellent job at showcasing Siena’s character and also her main conflict and the different roles she plays. The chosen operas add some wonderful depth and insight into her character and I absolutely love how the shows has implemented them.