#but more like a creator and I know it sounds messed up but it’s literally shown that bot feels uncomfortable about being around her

[norazingrid]

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

What if the reader was the child of the creator and had these gorgeous horns until one day, they were being looked after by Raiden, Venti, Nahida, Zhongli and they hear this mixed sounds of rocks breaking and bone snapping suddenly appearing and reader's large and gorgeous horns is suddenly not attached and in their hands while blood drips from their head. Apparently their horns were feeling pretty wobbly and they wanted to pull them to get rid of the feeling because it felt annoying.

PS: this is normal for this to happen, it's like pulling a tooth and a new one grows back.

How would they react to the graces child's horns no longer attached to their head.

OOOHH BOY, ARCHONS BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS, YOUR BABYSITTING CAREERS ARE ABOUT TO BE SHOOT THROUGH A BIG ROLLERCOASTER!

Honestly cannot blame them for panicking though—I would honestly do the same if I were in that position—

(Disclaimers: Might be OOC!)

Raiden Ei

The moment she sees the Almighty Creator's child's head bleeding, she is already scolding herself greatly for not being able to protect a child.

And then she sees the horns. That's when her panic begins to really spike up. That is—until she remembers Mikoshi Chiyo—her dear oni friend of bygone times—mention something about how some animals shed their horns during certain times of the year. And how her children have their teeth fall out when they were younger but we don't talk about that-

"Your Younger Grace, let us clean this all up before it becomes more of a mess." She tries to soften her voice towards you, knowing that she is dealing with a) a child and b) the literal descendant of the Almighty Creator. She does not dare to try and be cruel to the child who's parent can literally strike her down faster than lightning and time itself.

She's not exactly the most open nowadays, but she would still try to make herself as approachable as possible, if you two weren't close before.

If you two were? Well, that makes it a lot easier—her concern is easily detected and she's already cleaning up the blood and taking your previous horns somewhere else (probably a place where nobody would begin to panic just at the sight of it).

She won't even speak a single word about this incident after it's over. Ei does not want to look back at this memory and remember just how much of a heart attack she just gained by staring at the Divine One's child.

Venti

This man, hands down, will panic for a good few hours. Probably won't think straight as he thinks he's failed the Almighty Creator.

"Your Younger Grace, quick—let's get that cleaned up now!" Man would probably also yeet your horns away (gently) so that he never has to see it again. Venti is 100% traumatized again.

Would keep an eye on you whenever you touch your head now—this guy is making sure you never repeat the same thing again.

It won't be 'till a LONGG time before he realizes it's like a deer with your horns—but still, it's still pretty traumatic for our wisp boi, let's be hoenst—

Nahida

She would naturally be very upset that you would hurt yourself. However, she's not as panicked—she compares this situation like a deer. Or, actually—she hypothesizes.

Nevertheless, Nahida is still pretty upset you have to bleed because of this. She never wants to see you hurt, ever!

"Your Younger Grace, please let one of my people tend to your head..." She would call in her best medics from her nation to make sure your bleeding stops, before she deals with the horns that you practically tore off.

She will admit, it was very strange to hold the pieces of the Almighty Creator's child's horns as if they were collectible items. So, for the time being, she'll just keep them in a wrapped cloth to hide them.

Every time you do this, Nahida is now extra prepared for your "horn regrowth," as she calls it.

Zhongli

Dude is honestly the least surprised out of them all. I mean—can you blame him? He legit has seen it happen—remember what animal Moon Carver is? Yeah, that's right: a deer. Man's seen the guy shed antlers all the time, honestly.

But what he didn't expect is that you would actually bleed from pulling your horns off. That's what gets this grandpa of an Archon moving.

"Your Grace, allow me to tend to your injuries." Would treat it so seriously you think you were actually injured—you're just sitting there trying to recall how you might have hurt yourself until you realize Zhongli was talking about the horns you pulled off.

Pretty calm about the horns, honestly. Like I said, he's probably seen it one too many times. He'll probably ask the Almighty Creator themself of what he should do with them.

Would also probably educate the other archons so that they could stop having an absolute panic attack each time you decide to make your head bleed (cough looking at you, Venti cough).

And that's it! Everyone's except Ei's is short, but I do hope you like it! See you all around :)

Ghost Rebel Side Note: Yes, I did do some research with Ei's part—mainly because I don't really know how exactly she would react to a situation like this. I'm taking in terms with the fact that she is also mentally arguing/dealing with the Puppet Shogun, so there is some sort of rationalism behind her actions because of this. And, no, I don't believe Oni are able to shed off their horns, so I just made one of Ei's friends mention something about re-growing horns/teeth lol-

Check the Ghost Rebel's Blog Description to See if Their Mailbox is Open!

[lacesoflove]

hamzah once tweeted that he didnt care about fics being written about him idk if his viewpoint changed but honestly i dont think so cause hes chronically online still so he knows how it is (also i lowkey think that the tiktok community is the worst of all slushy communities they just make up fake stories about hamzah having a secret gf like every other week and most people commenting on there are really something else)

oh don’t get me started on the tik tok community…i just talked about the reddit community because it’s relevant and topical rn, but the tik tok community is actually something else.

i think, and maybe I’m overanalysing this way too deep, because im high as fuck, but i feel like typing a wall of text rn, so i will do just that. (everything said is my opinion and based on my experience from fandom culture, also i forget to say “not all but some” sometimes so i just want ro let you guys know im generalising) also i mention sa very very briefly!!

i think a lot of the tik tok fans are trying to mold hamzah and martin into the traditional social media personalities archetype, similar to tara yummy and jake and the rest of those “emo” guys (idgaf about them ngl 😭 apologies ig if you enjoy their content) - and i’m not saying slushynoobz’s is somehow more highbrow - which i want to quickly add (i swear im not beefing with like the entirety of this fandom i actually love slushies), i feel like there’s also another facet of slushies (to be totally honest i can have my downfalls and act like them sometimes) who like to treat hamzah and martin (i think i said this in my previous post) as above social media influencer culture or are highbrow because they make controversial jokes and shit, but like - they’re literally not? they’re close, or at least familiar with, people like tara yummy and them. they are very much content creators, they are just more self aware about it and have more “humble” (?) origins and have less controversies lmfao and are less brand friendly - i.e hamzah just doing social media because i think he didn’t want to go to college and martin just being an IT worker for canadians gov who made comedy videos. i think the reddit fans (not all tho!!) want to turn slushynoobz and slushies into like sturniolo brothers and tara yummy’s. i notice this especially when they talk about hamzah’s love life. and it’s like yeah, i’m curious too sometimes but i think sometimes they push it. esp with the hamzah and claire shit (which mind you shes still a teenager and hes like 22 - and yes, three years is not bad but like she was 15 and he was 18 when they met, the maturity difference hello???) or even, and i made a post about this already too lmfao, the whole mandy hating martin jokes (which ik are jokes 😭 im not that autistic) which tbh, in my personal opinion, are just overused and in poor taste.

im just worried that the fandom is gonna become a mess, especially with their growing popularity, and i feel like once hamzah can go to the states again, it’s gonna attract a bunch of new people! which is great for them and the community but unfortunately ive been through the dsmp and i hate to sound like that one gatekeeping ass hoe who calls new fans newgen (especially considering i only began watching slushynoobz this year and would only watch 4freakshow when a clip here and there would pop up), but like the fandom is going to get worse 😭

i just wish there was balance in this community like idk man and that people weren’t so extreme (which might be contradictory because i feel like i sound extreme in this post but then again, it might be the ganja), like yes? is it okay to be curious to want to know whay happened between hamzah and haley? yeah, maybe, sure - they’re public figures and had a falling ouf, naturally people are going to be curious? is it right to leave her comments about it or make weird rumours about them dating? no. is it weird to write really weird hamzah fics (and im talking weird with really grotesque topics like sa)? yes. it is, but my issue with reddit fans - the slushies arent even writing fics like that anyways, it’s tame.

im running out of what i wanna say coherently but yeah i just want us all to get along (which tbh, us tumblr girlies do with each other ngl) 🤒

[k9punkout]

If youre still doing the ask game Ivan and Sua!

I LOVE THESE TWO

Ivan:

1. Why I like them

i love ivan because he's unsolvable. there is literally no way for anyone to truly grasp how he thinks and feels. even the writers have admitted to not truly knowing what goes on in his head, and i find that so insane. to create a character so complex that it alludes the CREATOR HERSELF??? genius. i love it so much. there will never be enough thought put into his character because no one will ever reach a conclusion that will concisely and accurately describe Ivan. not even Ivan himself.

I also love the way he displays how people can develop when they really just have No One. throughout his entire life, ivan has always been alone. never an available support system, never a parental figure, never a place for him to vent his emotions. this lead to an absurd personality, and an insatiable desire for attention. when ivan loves someone, he craves their attention so desperately that he doesn't care whether it's gentle or violent. it's just so. GHHRHRHEHH

2 . Why I don't

probably for the same reason that i DO like him. because there's no true way to understand him, i always feel like im mischaracterizing him in some way whenever i talk about him or make content about him.

i also think it's very tragic how despite all the complex layers he has, ivan remains static in terms of development. he starts off with the same ideas and behaviors that he dies with, and he dies in a colorful burst of his own bottled up emotions, aggression and softness intermingling; mourning, rage, sadness, wanting, and joy all becoming one singular drive to do the things he did.

3. Favorite lyric

"you can break me apart"

4. Favorite frame/screenshot

the tears in his eyes, the drool on his lips, the sweat, the way he's hugging himself looking dazed. he's lost all of his composure. he's in shambles.

honorable mention to this one:

fake ass idgafer i SAW you yearning

5. Favorite outfit

probably his black sorrow one, simply because i really like the sparkly gloves

6. Favorite official art

his skin being a feverish and saturated hue to emphasize his mess of emotions, the way it looks like he's trying to hold himself together but the cracks just keep spreading... YEAH. I LOVE THESE PHOTOCARD ARTS BTW

7. Favorite canon fact

he views sua as a little sister ☹️

he's so desperate for a connection it hurts

8. Favorite straight-up-not-canon headcanon

ivan's favorite class is music interpretation and theory because he wants to better understand the music till makes.

9. Favorite song/cover

it used to be cure but black sorrow has been growing on me as of late. that PIANO.

10. Song I want them to cover

ivan and sua blink gone cover would go INSANE. if not that, ruler of my heart and ivan would sound so good.

Sua:

1. Why I like them

i like how distrustful she is. how she completely contradicts everything everyone believes about her--but solely when she's with mizi. to everyone else who isn't more observant towards her, she's just an ornament. a doll. closed off and pretty, meant to be looked at but never to love, never to be loved. and then mizi completely shatters that side of her, reaches in and grasps the emotional, fun-loving side of her, and suddenly she's bursting with life, as human and happy as it gets.

i also like how sensitive she is, despite trying her best to hide it. she cries easily. she gets mad easily. she gets insecure easily. she feels, she feels so much, and it's barely hidden beneath her disinterested persona.

2. Why I don't

theres nothing that i can think of that i don't like about sua. from her impact on the story to her personality to her design, it's all so cool. so for this part im just gonna name a fault in her morality that i love.

she hid from the truth by ensuring mizi never found out about it. she couldn't see a way out, so she found a way to ignore everything at the expense of mizi's happiness. she went into alnst knowing full well what it would do to her lover, even after ivan called her out for it, and died the happiest she could have been.

3. Favorite lyric

"you hug me tight as if nothing happened"

4. Favorite frame/screenshot

the way Nigeh had complete control of her before she met mizi. SUA MY GIRLLLLL

5. Favorite outfit

probably her doll-like dress she wore as a kid. no regard for her comfort or convenience, only the aesthetics matter. (reminds me of till's metal shoes in round 6)

6. Favorite official art

the dullness in her eyes i actually cant

honorable mention to this one:

angel baby ☹️☹️☹️

7. Favorite canon fact

she used a flower that mizi gave her as a bookmark and she was so fond of it and and and

8. Favorite straight-up-not-canon headcanon

she doesn't ACTUALLY hate till and ivan, she simply doesn't want to get closer to them because she knows they'd remind her of how bad the real world is. she'll see it in ivans false smile and cynical observations, in the purple bruises and green patches on tills body. she wants nothing to do with it.

9. Favorite song/cover

MIZISUA CURE LITERALLY GIVES ME CHILLS. KILLS ME SO BAD EVERY TIME I LISTEN TO IT. the love in sua's voice is just so. oh my god.

10. Song I want them to cover

the aforementioned ivan and sua blink gone cover will be real guys TRUST 🗣️🗣️

[weaselbeaselpants]

Sometimes it's not just a vibe; the bigger thing is to not divide

((warning: loooooong post with lots of talking sorry))

So recently (like, this day) @starlit-soothsayer made a comment about Sai Scribbles that I was about to honestly agree with because it sounded right to me. But then I happen to see that one of Lily's most prominent victims is deeply against Starlit's reasoning. They (this victim) is adamant that pp:"they not compare a person they don't vibe with [Sai] to a literal PREDATOR/GROOMER [Orchard]".

I get the said victim's take here, both on it's own and especially in relation to the last month/weeks. Recently one of the Lorch critical blogs, Fennec, decided it was a good idea to make a document calling Courtney Peet, Lily's abused sibling, ALSO a groomergooner just like their sister. Fennec's reasoning was shaky at best, vindictive, and stunk of the same kind of narrative Zena and Poppy, also grifters, took about Lily Orchard drama: "Lily's critics are the same kind of awful as her". Keep in mind, the reason I AM invested in the Lorch-drama is I've been worried about Lily Orchard's fans and base for years now. I've been mad at and staying on Lily's case for awhile. Say for Patchworkhearts, Sparky and Poppy herself, I wouldn't exactly call the want to see Lily put away and the push by different types/sorts of people to see that happen as analogous to what I just called Lily - a predator and a deflecting one at that.

I will say that " we ", aka all of the combined critics of Lily Orchard, aren't a fandom of even an exact community and besty buddy-buds, even if we support each other. Courtney, Lily's sibling, got on a lot of different people's cases here on tumblr before she was ultimately mass blocked by Lily's base. I remember. I saw it. Courtney and her story and testimony is a smoking gun, I'd say, in the truth of what kind of a person Lily is, but she's in no way a leader or even liked by all of us. On a personal petty basic-level I disagreed w Courtney over how she violently overstanned Johnny Depp and then over how Courtney talked about their niece and nephews offhandedly. I can't do anything about that, but, I'm allowed to support Courtney as a person without stanning her outright for what I think are her own demons. Courtney is not as bad a person as Lily Orchard because she is not the same kind of person as Lily Orchard.

Courtney is her own kind of a mess. And frankly so is Sai.

Two days ago, following drama from a different Lorch-critical blogger skeleton-bat implicated Sai to be as bad as Lorch and a groomer (no. Sai isn't a groomer. sns also don't do your 'proshippers = groomers' dance on me, Bats), one of the blogs that talking down skeleton-bats unpromptedly said skeleton bats was a joke and a phony for reblogging Palestine-gofundmeblogs. Their words were literally "all Palestinian bloggers are bots and scammers". I disagreed with that, because I know from my sources, lived experiences and someone with Palestinian family that that's simply untrue, to which this person proceeded to splain to me how ebeggers must be scams -Sai agreed with this person.

I am pro-Palestinian justice and aid in getting these people away from Gaza. I've been that way ever since I saw an ISRAELI film strait up say that what Israel is doing is wrong, long before Oct 7th 23'. I don't want to dwell to long on it or the explanations and fact checking for yourself with nonEnglish-speaking fundraisers how legit they are beyond going "look at the way it's written; it looks like begging", but now's not the time. This was my breaking point. I had to block Sai.

Personally I think Sai is a recovering edgeduchess who likes to pick on people first and then can get into the weeds of 'taking down' people if and when it benefits her. That doesn't make her a grifter ala skeleton-bat, Poppy and Zena or Fennec...but I do think that means she's more into the attention of p0wning Lorch, another queer creator, than she is other concerns. I do think she cares about the harm done by Lorch now, but in the beginning and definitely with her own non-Lorch-stan detractors, Sai struck me as being into dunking on Lily for attention. What bugged me about Sai's and that other user's comments was not only that it was unneeded/not relevant to what skeleton-bat is doing; it was that she tried to splain to me, a person who knows gofundme bloggers irl how they 'must be' scams especially in times of crisis. That was insensitive and wrong of her to do even if she doesn't mean anything hurtful by it. There ARE ways to say "hey, don't believe/reblog every fundraiser that comes your way sum might be scams" and there are ways NOT to do that; Sai chose the later option and frankly I see her as pretty racist at the moment by the confidence she chose in it. But obviously, I know some ppl are going to still support Sai, stand by her and that includes the victims of Lorch who are just happy that someone is helping them spread news of Lorch's crimes.

Bigotry is a different problem and a different evil than predation. One can be committed without the other and I'm not interested in splitting hairs over which one is "worse". ALTHOUGH Lily has been caught doing a lot of bigotry of her own, including just now, ON TOP OF being a grooming-predator. For Sai's case I don't think she even compares to Lily Orchard's racism and antisemitism. Sai seems like the kind of person who could learn if she really had to what she said was wrong. Lorch, if she were in Sai's place, would probably demand for days on end that Palestinian donations are inherent scams, that she is the only TRUE ally for both Palestine and then in the next two months delete the post and gaslight her audience into believing she's never said anything about Palestine ever.

Still though, personally, I'm allowed to not like Sai. I can admire her will, I think she's genuinely wanting to help ((she's absolutely a better artist than you, Orchards, stop criticizing Sai's damn art)) but I'm sorry I really don't like her after what happened two days ago. I left the convo because clearly I was making the sitch worse and I'm just not gonna step on Sai's toes about this if that's really how set she and that other blog I was arguing with feel. I'm genuinely hurt; deeply offended. I left. If other people of any other demographic feels differently about Sai I'm not going to get on their case about it. And I think part of the problem is that a lot of people ARE WANTING others to do something about it.

People dislike Sai and the cut of her jib in a serious enough way that they just can't stomach her even when she's on the side of 'good'....that's a really fair thing to do. For comparison, I really love Lindsay Ellis's stuff and agree with much of her takes. This does not mean I think people who say Ellis virtually forgave herself over her canceling are " wrong ". I personally hate being told I only 'stan' Ellis cuz I -"hate poc and Ellis is white so I 'MUST' feel more comfortable with her as a white girl". Not only is that a VERY weighted thing to throw at someone casually for why they must like a reviewer they grew up watching but....wtf!! do you seriously presume everyone who likes Ellis is a white girl? What if I were asian or black and still liked Ellis? What then? Because, if you're at all the kind of person -the kind of Lily Orchard-ish person- to start saying 'you aren't actually bipoc'/'you're a BAD bipoc' over a damn youtube personality that's definitely on you, hon.

I think that was skeleton-bats' problem [one of them] with all this. They can't leave it at Sai being an edgeduchess who used her own disability terms to her advantage and liking- they had to make it a matter of " tolerating Sai = Sai grooming people ". Which was unnecessary, foolish, and deeply insulting.

That's why skeleton-bat, you're also blocked atm alongside Sai. Blocks are created equally on tumblr but you don't need to use them equally. I block serious things like neon@zis and scambots as much as I do people who I know aren't going to listen to me, seem toxic and/or want to fight. I guess that was a blessing since you've been spamming the lily orchard tags with shit on everyone else who so much likes Sai or doesn't agree with you???

Look here- we are a bunch of adult strangers who at most found some comradery with each other over our mutual hurt, pain and anger at what Lily Orchard has done to us or to other people. We are not a fan base or even an anti-fanbase. With those of us who have actually known and hurt by Orchard and her fans, maybe don't insinuate that they're ally is now their 'savior' or that their personal beefemy is the same thing as their abuser.

We're gonna have to agree to disagree on this after awhile and focus on the bigger picture. If someone is here because they honestly want to see Lily Orchard go down because of her predation/gaslighting/grooming/bigotry, that person is your ally in this fight whether you like it or not. Sai is. That's how this works.

If someone says they want to see Lorch go down but really is more preoccupied with her being trans or 'progressive'(phony or not doesn't matter to people who unironically use 'woke' in 2024), wants to see a dumpster fire or is playing devil's advocate for Lily because "her critics are just as bad!! 8U"...enjoy your block too, hon.

We have a serial groomer to catch and make sure she doesn't hurt anyone again.

[m1ssunderstanding]

Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 4.1

This is embarrassing but I'm actually so obsessed with the first five minutes of this episode that I've got it bookmarked in my YouTube account. It's just so perfect!

“Say you don't looooove him, my salamander. Then why did you neeeeeeed him? Ono don't answer.” He genuinely thinks need and love are the same and I really hope he's got therapy for that messed up mindset by now.

Officially honored as the most successful musical composer and recording artist of all time. That damn well better be mentioned in his movie. And people still don't take him seriously. But also. John definitely smashed his TV.

I'm screaming. I love Linda the promoter so fucking much!! Interviewer: I knew a lot of your records had went gold and platinum and– Linda: a lot of them? All of them! Ugh I wish she was still with him now.

And then THIS! “What really happened between you and John?” As the first notes to “I Will Survive” play. It's too good. Everyone has to go watch that bit right now.

Linda coming in for the kill again with her fake posh accent: critics? Critics? Oooooh! … They're always three years behind.

Look at him (to the tune Bitch by Meredeth Brooks) he's a whore, he's a father, he's a star, he's a success, he's a lover he's smug, he's laughing, he's having fun, he's working hard. He's everything.

Interviewing Wings concert goers and this one girl goes, "oh I just got off on all of it" and another one goes “It was great, i came twice!” Literally it should've been me!!!!

The McCartneys are seriously such a big family. And it's been Paul's responsibility since was about 21, really, to make sure they're all okay financially. That Francie story of him crumbling in the street in Liverpool haunts me.

"Why shouldn't they go to the same school as everyone else goes to?" State schools should be the only legal schools btw.

I love what the creator does to contextualize their songs by pairing them with other contemporary footage. It makes it much easier for me to understand why something like “arrow through me” (which I love but none of the people I've shown it to do) would've been so popular.

Oh here we go again. Just show us the marriage certificate already.

Cackling at the contrast between “Old Siam Sir” which is one of my all time fav rockers and footage of the Stones being cringe AF and Dylan being so beyond done he's basically dead.

Oh. Okay. And then they slap us in the face with John's poor baby late 70s demo voice crooning, “Don't want your looooove. Anymore.” “I die each time I hear your name.” I'm fine. It's fine. I'm just vomiting my guts out because I'm sick. That's why.

The pairing of “Mr H Atom” with Paul's would've-been drag show is genius, but what is that clip of some sort of trial stuck in there? If anyone knows, please inform me. (16:15)

John sounds so sad talking about the “endless search for . . . Scotland . . . Within an hour of New York.” I can't help thinking of the Mull of Kintyre. But John was also the one who turned Paul on to Scotland in the first place, ≈always waxing poetic about the heather and the hills≈.

Sean is so adorable. Reminds me of my little guy a bit actually.

Why do I always want to tell Paul to be nice to John? John is worse to him. Idk maybe because John's pain is more visible.

[chaifootsteps]

Hi hi! It's me, Concerned Anon (Directed to the Anon who had expressed feeling threatened.). The doc I created is NOT meant to harass people. I am fine with regular people in the fandom, it's extended to people like DJ and the like. I scrolled through the Doc and there's nothing of the sorts threatening people to off themselves.

If that's the case, then I would remove it. This is towards Chai as I treat him as a source. I feel like most people assume the Doc has content that's "Extreme as all hell" when in reality my language is only directed at people who commit actual crimes, I am not that extreme with my beliefs and anyone who name drops me on twitter for "threatening behavior" is only spreading false narratives and this ask is meant to clarify some things.

I do not care for the tame side of the fandom, as long as your not doing anything shitty and bad then it's fine by me.

The beginning of the Doc has stated numerous times to not harass others or send any hate. Hence: "If you are reading this with the full intent to harass anyone in the critic community or even outside of, then don’t. Especially if you follow Viv’s work and worship her. This will only further add more to the document and cause more issues than not. This document is meant to inform and educate/help others and make sure that Viv doesn’t get away with anything, as much as you like to not listen to what has been said, just act civilly and don’t act like it’s the end of the world because someone says VivziePop’s writing is bullshit. This will also serve as an open letter of some sorts, a walking, living, reading example of what the fanbase has done, that if VivziePop tries anything, we can show this document. You can still like her work and be critical of it, no one’s forcing you to not like it. "

The end of the Doc has a harsh message to the more "messed up side" as usual, most of us cannot control who comes to who, but we can also tell people to NOT harass others.

I do not intend to spread hate, if anything I am harsh on people like DJ, Dani and the creator.

My blog is not a Critic Space, nor do I intend for it to be that way. People who clarify this post as me being "harsh" hasn't read the full doc and are going off what Fans are saying.

I am simply only harsh to people who harass others for opinions, Dox, send death threats etc. Anything as a result of my Doc is my bad. But it's not in bad faith. I am simply doing my due diligence of cleaning up the Fandom, and if you haven't done anything wrong then I see no point in worrying.

I know this ask targeted to Chai, but this is for everyone whose worried. I am not some crazy "Critic" I am just someone whose Mentally Ill, with several disabilities who have been mistreated by the fandom and keeping archives.

By all accounts I am a normal human being. I just want to post Dragon Ball, not be called someone who wants to "hurt others" (trust me, the last time I did I ended up in the loony bin. I literally had the FBI shown up to my place."

So yeah, Doc isn't meant to sent any harassment, and if there's people doing that, cut that out. I am not dealing with this shit right now, as I already got alot on my hand.

I once again want to apologize if my "posts" causes issues. Not my intentions.

--Cooler's Malewife, Anon

Passing this along even though I have absolutely no idea what doc you're referring to. It sounds fair to people who enjoy the shows though, which is the way it should be.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/750768261479694336/yeah-cultural-appropriation-is-a-little-bit

Take my words with a heap of salt, because I didn't read the actual book. All I did was watch some long videos and reading a few reviews. But like, some authors can fuck up even when they're writing about their own culture.

Anyways, I want to rip the author of To Gaze Upon a Wicked God to shreds. She's of Chinese descent, but I honestly felt like she was just exploiting our people's history for "cool" and "novel" plot points for profit. She wrote a fucking colonizer romance between a traitor Chinese assassin and the prince of the invading nation whose idea of peace is to subjugate China without genocide. I guess that makes him better than ✨ the other ones ✨

And before someone rightfully ask if I'm reading too much into it or if I'm misinterpreting anything, they explicitly marketed the book as a "Zutara inspired enemies to lover romance based on the Russian/Japanese invasion of Machuria." She namedrops Unit 731 as an inspiration. You know, the human experimentation base, one of the most horrific crimes against humanity, a permanent scar that won't heal right because Japan insists on never acknowledging its war crimes? Oh, btw, the male lead created the in universe equivalent of Unit 731. Yeah, the love interest.

The whole thing is set in an alternate universe where "Chinese people" aka the Panguians never developed technology because ~magic~ and they fought with bows and arrows because ~magic~ This au version of China, which has no modern weapon and NO MEDICINE is supposed to be Qing China? This really annoys me because she was writing for a primarily western audience, and this weak, infantilized, orientalised mess is already how they picture China during the invasion of foreign forces. Like, I would not be nearly as annoyed if the author herself didn't specify that she was writing about that time period. I actually like orientalism in small doses, it can be aesthetic.

Apparently the marketing surrounding the book is pivoting hard because of the negative reviews coming out. Now, they're acting like the male lead wasn't supposed to be the love interest. The real love interest is her childhood friend of course. Like girl, bffr, you said it yourself it's enemies to lovers and your mc literally just fell in love with the prince while she was being ordered to kill the leaders of her own people.

Last time I was this baffled by the tone-deafness of a Chinese creator vis-à-vis the Century of Humiliation was in 2013, when Ringdoll came out with Hayato the Imperial Japanese soldier bjd

--

But you haven't read the book...

Look, anything in the het booktok giant background of expensive hardcovers with their spines facing the wall because the pages have a design space is not of interest to me. It all sounds tedious.

But even before the marketing pivot, it was clear that a lot of people were going on hearsay and that the author's comments about Unit 731 were at least a bit more nuanced than the game of telephone that resulted.

I'm with you that genetics don't prevent an author from writing a shitty book, but can someone who's actually read this thing weigh in?

Does it seem like the enemy prince was the original real love interest, or was that early marketing nonsense and he was probably originally intended as a fakeout?

[foxes-that-run]

But Daddy I Love Him

Daddy I love him is an Ariel quote, when Ariel gives up her voice for love. Taylor has given up love for her voice (career), but also not spoken up for what she wants most. But Daddy I Love Him is a continuation of a theme of how fame and fandoms have affected Taylor's personal life. What I love about this song is it sounds like an older Taylor Swift song, she embraces a country sound and speaks her mind.

While the parallels to the reaction to a relationship in May 2023 can be seen, this overlooks much of her experience with this behaviour. I don't mean to say it is not an element, but it is far from a complete story to say it is about ending a 3 week relationship with someone about whom she also said "And I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive" on the same record.

In her NYU Graduation address in May 2022 Taylor had part of the concept in this already swirling in her mind, a full year before she dated Matty Healy:

Having journalists write in-depth, oftentimes critical, pieces about who they perceive me to be made me feel like I was living in some weird simulation, but it also made me look inward to learn about who I actually am. Having the world treat my love life like a spectator sport in which I lose every single game was not a great way to date in my teens and twenties, but it taught me to protect my private life fiercely. Being publicly humiliated over and over again at a young age was excruciatingly painful but it forced me to devalue the ridiculous notion of minute by minute, ever fluctuating social relevance and likability. 

What Taylor is referring to is the treatment by the media and fandoms throughout her career, but this was never more of an issue than 2012-2014. Nothing is a terrifying as a teenager on fledgeling social media. This TikTok creator describes it perfectly:

From tabloids, twitter, tumblr, even people who looked like Taylor were abused.

So yes, Harry has had and worn t-Shirt with the song title for years, and yes they have both dressed up as Ariel. But that is not all that makes this song about Taylor loosing her love over fan behaviour... it's because she did. She lost the love she wrote 1989 including "This love left a permanent mark / This love is glowing in the dark"  about. And it continues today, there are a lot of people who still call Harry's partners vile names and think it is OK to treat others poorly because they suggest he could care for someone. I think anyone who's read this far knows exactly what I mean, probably first hand.

This affected Taylor the point the Clean Speeches on the 1989 Tour were on this topic, every night she talked about bullying, self worth and holding onto love.

The 'Daddy' is not just the fans and media, but probably her team also. I think the varied shapes in the CDs are to show this comes in many forms and roles, not just one experience. As Taylor said to Rolling Stone in 2014 before 1989 was released:

Lyrics

[Verse 1] I forget how the West was won I forget if this was ever fun I just learned these people only raise you To cage you Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best Clutching their pearls, sighing, “What a mess” I just learned these people try and save you ‘Cause they hate you

For the international fans like myself 'How the West was Won' is a 1960's film about American colonisation. I think the opening 2 lines do 2 things, place us in a country setting and also tell us Taylor cares more about speaking her mind than what may be higher bigger goals.

The second half of this verse goes on to set out that it is fans who are approaching her love lost as trauma porn, and I am here for it.

I also note the cage reference, Taylor (and Harry) have a long theme of being caged or trapped by fame, she has a literal cage in her Nashville apartment, he has a cage tattoo and they have used cage, glass boxes, fishbowls, snowglobe imagery. Here she points out the fans are not really there for her, they are seeking to control her.

[Pre-Chorus 1] Too high a horse for a simple girl To rise above it They slammed the door on my whole world The one thing I wanted

The pre-chorus furthers that the final straw has been broken, she's been cornered by fans to give up something she cares for.

Vigante Shit "Ladies always rise above / Ladies know what people want / Someone sweet and kind and fun /The lady simply had enough"

Is It Over Now? "I was hoping you’d be there and say the one thing I’ve been wanting, but no"

That is the only time Taylor has sung about ‘wanting one thing' before. This also reminds me of the Delicate Behind the Scenes, where she said she got a note from a lover and wants to be with him but realises 'it can never be him'

[Chorus] Now I’m running with my dress unbuttoned Scrеaming, “But, Daddy, I love him I’m having his baby” No, I’m not, but you should see your faces I’m telling him to floor it through thе fences No, I’m not coming to my senses I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want

In the chorus Taylor acts out a churlish child yelling at a father. The 'daddy' is many roles, her actual parents, fans, media and probably record company and PR people who told her she could be with the one she loved, throughout her life. She says the matching line to Harry's Kiwi, which has the same meaning.

Taylor 'floors it through the fences, fed up and unwilling to listen. This is great imagery, to break through fences, and also as metaphorical fences that have been placed around what considered acceptable for her. Cars are also a Haylor theme, including Run below and often used as a metaphor for their love escaping as it is here. (All I know is that you drove us off the road / Let’s get out of this town, drive out of the city, away from the crowds)

Is It Over Now?: Was it over when he unbuttoned my blouse?

Run: And my so-called friends, they don’t know I’d drive away before I let you go

In Kiwi Harry yells a tabloid line followed with it's none of your business. In his Harry's House ONO complete with pointing at the camera and crowd. Taylor also referenced these same tabloids headlines in the Reputation magazine.

Kiwi "I'm having your baby / It's none of your business"

[Verse 2] Dutiful daughter, all my plans were laid Tendrils tucked into a woven braid Growing up precocious sometimes means Not growing up at all He was chaos, he was revelry Bedroom eyes like a remedy Soon enough, the elders had convened Down at the city hall

In the second verse Taylor establishes that she has gone everything asked of her:

Style - "I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt"

Style - "So it goes, he can’t keep his wild eyes on the road"

Yet is denied freedom and the elders decree the match is unsuitable. I think the elders are her team. She describes the muse as chaos and revelry. This is very reminiscent of the I Knew You Were Trouble introduction poem, but while in 2012 Taylor was contrite and said it was too much she now revels in the revelry:

"And the crazy thing is I don't know if I'm ever gonna feel that way again, but I don't know if I should. I knew his world moved too fast and burned too bright, but I just thought, how can the devil be pulling you toward someone who looks so much like an angel when he smiles at you? Maybe he knew that when he saw me. I guess I just lost my balance. I think that the worst part of it all wasn't losing him it was losing me"

[Pre-Chorus 2] “Stay away from her” The saboteurs protested too much Lord knows the words we never heard Just screeching tires and true love

The 'daddy' has now forbidden the love, this is reminiscent of Love Story: "And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet”

[Chorus] And I’m running with my dress unbuttoned Screaming, “But, Daddy, I love him I’m having his baby” No, I’m not, but you should see your faces I’m telling him to floor it through the fences No, I’m not coming to my senses I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want

'Crazy' and Madness are a Haylor theme, particularly in the Blank Space music video, and these lyrics

Wonderland "And in the end, in Wonderland, we both went mad"

Kiwi "She's driving me crazy, but I'm into it (Oh) and "It's getting crazy, I think I'm losing it, I think I'm losing it"

But many more songs:

[Post-Chorus 1] I’ll tell you something right now I’d rather burn my whole life down Than listen to one more second of all this bitching and moaning I’ll tell you something ’bout my good name It’s mine alone to disgrace I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing

I love the last line, vipers dressed in empaths clothing, that is exactly what they are.

[Bridge] God save the most judgmental creeps Who say they want what’s best for me Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see Thinking it can change the beat Of my heart when he touches me And counteract the chemistry And undo the destiny You ain’t gotta pray for me Me and my wild boy and all of this wild joy If all you want is gray for me Then it’s just white noise, and it’s just my choice

The only time Taylor has described someone as wild in lyrics is in Style "So it goes, he can’t keep his wild eyes on the road"

Afterglow "Chemistry until it blows up"

I love the end of the bridge, elsewhere on the record Taylor describes her long term relationship as grey, staid and boring. For many years some fans have shoehorned this person into lyrics because they want to see themselves in her, as they settle down they want her too. From my point of view some rather loud warning signs in songs were overlooked, or seen as 'she's remembering the past/when they first got together' to avoid accepting she was unhappy and wanted out.

Out of the Woods "The rest of the world was black and white But we were in screaming color"

[Verse 3] There’s a lot of people in town that I Bestow upon my fakest smiles Scandal does funny things to pride, but brings lovers closer We came back when the heat died down Went to my parents and they came around All the wine moms are still holding out But fuck ’em, it’s over

This verse is where I think it becomes clear than the 2023 lens is at best reminding Taylor of a past love, because that relationship never came back. Matty has said they never dated in 2014, there was no controversy around her attending concerts then. They dated for a few weeks then stopped talking, and of story.

However Harry and Taylor did sing about a hidden relationship for years. In fact Taylor wasn't connected to anyone else in a serious way for three years. In particular

Wildest Dreams: I said, “No one has to know what we do”

This Love "This love came back to me, oh, oh, oh"

I know places : "Somethin' happens when everybody finds out / See the vultures circling, dark clouds" and "we're bulletproof I know places (Hide) and you know for me, it's always you"

…Ready For It?: "Island breeze and lights down low, no one has to know"

I Know Places TV's lyric video for got a very TTPD themed look.

[Final Chorus] Now I’m dancing in my dress in the sun and Even my daddy just loves him I’m his lady And, oh, my God, you should see your faces Time, doesn’t it give some perspective? And, no, you can’t come to the wedding I know it’s crazy, but he’s the one I want

Taylor is asking her fans, parents, media if they have grown up, from when they were teenagers playing with her real life, do they have perspective and willing to accept that she loves someone of her choosing?

And no, they can't come to the wedding, but I bet they have Eras Tour tickets.... and some showed up at Jacks.

[thebroccolination]

30-DAY BL CHALLENGE - Day 2

"THIS SCENE GIVES ME THE URGE TO BREAK SOMETHING"

Okay, so…it's been two years.

Between Us wasn't as great as I was hoping it would be. And for…god, So Many Reasons. Even though I spent the whole run time trying to see the best in it and writing so much positive meta on here, ultimately I can say that my honest review of Between Us is that BounPrem did a phenomenal job with confusing material (Team's backstory in the novel is less complicated and more impactful than what they put in the series) and poor directing choices. (You did not need five fucking couples, New. I assume you were trying to advertise the stable full of actors you took on for some baffling reason when you were struggling to keep the lights on with the ones you already had. It backfired. A lot .)

So the reason this scene makes me want to break something is because I sincerely think it's the best scene in the series, and it shows how good it could have been.

It's the one time the music is perfect (New does not know how to do sound design at all and it is my goddamn villain origin story WHY WERE THERE FIVE MUSIC CUES IN A FOUR-MINUTE SCENE, SIWAJ), WinTeam's LITERAL push-and-pull choreography is flawless, and the kiss is exactly as feral as it should be at that stage in their relationship.

The look Win gives Team after Team slams him into the locker??? Like, "Yeah, okay, that was hot," and then he slams Team into the locker back. It made me think of their vers dynamic in the novel.

But it's also the little details! Like Boun covering the latch on the locker with his hand when they swapped places because Prem accidentally shoved him into it and he didn't want Prem hurt his back on it, too. He didn't break character, he found a way to fit it into the scene, and it works for Win's character to protect Team, too.

I think New directed Between Us because he loves BounPrem. He knew it meant a lot to them, and they waited two years through a global pandemic to have their own series. BounPrem had passion for WinTeam, but New had passion for BounPrem. And if it's true that New wasn't all that invested in WinTeam, it might explain why he didn't see an issue packing their series with side couples and leaving out huge chunks of the novel relevant to WinTeam's development (Team's actual backstory, Win helping him with his therapy journey, the studying abroad, etc.).

SO that's why this scene makes me want to throw bricks at a wall of ceramics. It's the best scene in the series which means the series peaked in episode two in a bonus scene New only let people access if they paid for it.

I have respect for New as a queer creator who protects his people and gave queer actors a safe company to work for. But if he messes up Revamp the way he messed up Between Us, I'm going to carve a candle in his likeness and feed it to a gargoyle.

[chickenkurage]

“The Self Proclaimed Leader” (The Alan Association AU)

Summary: Not everyone likes how Kit runs things around. (In short, Kit doesn’t know what being a leader means)

Tags: Humor and Comedy

*~*

Kit: Cursor Alan

Vee: Teen Alan

Feathers: Duck Alan

Noogai: Artificial Intelligence Alan

Snow: Creator Stickman Alan

Oji: Farmer Alan

*~*

Oji groaned once again as Kit stood in front of him, wagging his finger and instructing the other stick to refrain from tracking dirt into the house. "Kit, I will clean this. I'm the same person who cleans this whole house," Oji pointed at the dirt on the floor as Kit pouted and crossed his arms before pulling out a paper and skimming through it.

"The rules here clearly state: keep the house clean at all times," Kit began, biting his thumb. "I clean the house every day, Kit," Oji deadpanned, holding back the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't Kit's fault, but his tone and attitude didn't make things enjoyable for Oji.

"It says 'at all times' in caps lock," Kit pouted, while Oji crossed his arms and sighed, feeling annoyed as he pinched the bridge of his nose before exhaling slowly, attempting to keep his composure. The situation was exacerbated by Kit's insistence on pointing out cleanliness despite not contributing much to the upkeep of the house.

"I'll clean it, don't worry too much, Kit," Oji said resignedly, to which Kit responded with a toothy grin, looking exceedingly pleased with himself. Oji rubbed his eyes, then removed his boots and tossed them outside the house. Kit beamed happily, feeling accomplished and proud, as he scanned the paper once more to ensure he hadn't missed any rules, unaware of the tired glare Oji was directing at him.

*~*

Snow rested his head in his hands as Kit stood before him with arms crossed. "Kit, I'll clean my room later—" Snow began, only to be shushed by Kit, who raised a finger, looking like a disappointed mother. Snow arched a brow as Kit pouted, "You have to clean your room, Snow! What if it gets infested by rats?" Kit whined, gripping the edges of his hair and tugging at it.

Snow sighed, rolling his eyes at the familiar lecture before emitting a long, drawn-out groan. "Yes, I'll clean it. My bed is literally the only thing messed up. I have no idea how it could be infested with rats," Snow muttered to himself as he pushed his orange juice back into the fridge and made his way to his room.

"It's a possibility!" Kit argued, rushing after Snow, who gave him a look. "Okay, I'll clean my room. No need to argue over it," Snow said, slumping his shoulders as Kit pouted. "I'm not arguing, I'm just saying you need to keep it clean daily so you won't get an infestation," Kit gestured with his arms as Snow simply nodded. "Okay, my bad. I'll go do it now," Snow sighed, scratching his cheek awkwardly, while Kit nodded with a smile.

"Okay! You can go now," Kit grinned as Snow entered his room, closing the door behind him, prompting Kit to cheer internally. "I'm doing really great!" Kit thought excitedly. Initially unsure about the leadership role, as he wasn't accustomed to taking charge and usually followed others' lead, Kit was now feeling more confident in his abilities.

"But everyone seems really easy to talk to!" Kit nodded eagerly to himself. "The names I gave them also sound great! They all seem to go with it as well." Kit rubbed his cheeks excitedly at the idea of connecting with other versions of himself.

*~*

"Feathers! There's so many feathers!" Kit exclaimed, placing his hands on his head as he gazed at a scattering of purple feathers on the living room floor. In front of him, the others shifted in their seats, trying to get a good view of the TV, which Kit was blocking.

"Kit," Oji began, "Can you move a little? We're trying to watch here," Snow added, scratching his cheek awkwardly. Kit crossed his arms, pouting before reaching for the remote and switching off the TV. "Guys! Clean this up! Don't let it spread around the house," Kit whined, waving his arms wildly as everyone groaned in unison at the abrupt halt of the movie they were watching.

"Kit, we were watching," Vee mumbled, rubbing the back of his head, but Kit only shook his head and pointed at the feathers, crossing his arms. Oji sighed, resting his cheek on his palm before nodding. "No, I can do it."

Feathers raised a wing, ready to jump down, but Noogai caught him as Oji stood up and began picking up the feathers, kneeling down. Feathers squawked, turning to Noogai, who simply shrugged.

"Good!" Kit grinned, while Vee and Snow exchanged looks, their lips forming a thin line.

*~*

"Where's Kit?" Vee asked as he entered the kitchen, observing everyone enjoying their breakfast. "Still sleeping," Noogai replied, focused on the pan as he expertly flipped a perfect pancake onto a plate and slid it over to Snow, who was engrossed in his orange juice.

Next to Noogai, Oji was busy frying some eggs and bacon, scratching his head. "He wakes up late. I already knocked on his door, but he didn't respond," Oji remarked as Vee nodded, taking a seat beside Snow. He watched as Feathers fluttered his wing, landed on the table, and settled in front of his plate.

"Good morning, everyone. Having a nice day?" Feathers chirped, to which Oji shot him a look suggesting otherwise.

Feathers winced before turning to Snow, who was busy devouring a pancake. "You?" Feathers asked as Snow startled, chewing and tapping his chin before shrugging. "Okay... How about you, Vee?" Feathers redirected his attention to Vee, who was nodding off at the table, only to jolt awake when Oji placed a plate in front of him.

"Eat your breakfast and don't fall asleep at the table, Vee," Oji remarked. Vee blushed, picked up his fork, impaled a piece of bacon, and took a bite. "It's okay, I like it here," Vee grinned as Feathers let out a happy squawk.

"That's good. It's nice to know someone here is actually having fun," Feathers remarked, giving Oji and Noogai a pointed look as they both joined at the table.

"I'm having fun," Noogai stated, his voice low as he raised a brow at Feathers. "Sure," Feathers waved a wing dismissively as Oji sighed. "Fine, let's address the elephant in the room," he groaned, to which Feathers cheered. "Who made Kit the leader? That's my question," Feathers declared, causing Snow to look surprised.

"I thought we were supposed to be eating," Snow pointed out, while Vee rubbed the back of his neck. "We were supposed to," Oji added, crossing his arms, as Feathers shrugged. "Hey, don't blame me. I'm honestly getting annoyed at how Kit keeps ordering us around to clean or do things! Oji, do this. Noogai, do that. Vee, you should do this. Snow, you should clean that. Feathers, stop leaving feathers around," Feathers ranted, waving his wing wildly.

"Kit is clearly just trying to reign us in," Snow added, causing everyone to turn to him, which made him freeze up and hide behind his glass, pretending to drink more of his juice.

"Clearly, we never had the chance to choose a leader in the first place," Noogai remarked, stabbing his pancake and cutting it into small pieces. "Right, that's another one of the problems," Feathers agreed, as Oji sighed. "That is true."

"I like Kit being the leader, though," Vee chimed in, prompting everyone to let out a tired breath. "Kid, he's not really a good leader, though," Feathers countered, and Vee scratched his head. Oji began to speak, but Kit jumped in with a grin. "Good morning!" Kit yelled excitedly, causing everyone to wince.

"Good morning, Kit," Snow waved, and Vee grinned, saying, "Morning!" Kit sat beside Oji with a grin as Noogai wordlessly pushed a plate and a cup of orange juice towards him. "What's going on? Why does everyone look so serious?" Kit tilted his head, while Feathers and Oji exchanged glances.

"We were thinking about who elected you as the leader of this group," Feathers said, causing everyone, minus Kit, to look away, trying to act as if he hadn't just said that so blatantly. Kit's eyes widened as everyone held their breath, hoping the situation wouldn't escalate.

"Oh! The paper said I'm supposed to be the leader!" Kit grinned, as everyone groaned, except for Noogai, who ate his food in peace.

"The paper said you're supposed to be the leader?" Feathers deadpanned, as Kit nodded eagerly. "This is impossible," Oji moaned, tempted to leave the table and eat his breakfast in his room. "Why?" Kit frowned, looking at everyone's faces.

Noogai remained as unreadable as ever, the shadow from his hood concealing most of his features. Vee appeared extremely guilty, Snow avoided eye contact, Feathers looked disappointed, and Oji seemed like he just wanted to escape the situation.

"Would it be nice for us all to reelect a new leader, democracy and all. We never had the chance to have the rights to pick the person to lead the group," Feathers suggested, as Kit's mouth opened before he nodded in agreement.

"Okay!" Kit grinned, prompting Oji to give him a surprised look. "Just like that?" Feathers asked. "Is this okay with you?" Vee inquired, as Kit scratched his cheek before nodding. "It's fine! We can do it later after eating?" Kit beamed, and they all looked at each other in surprise.

"You're taking this too happily," Snow pointed out, as Kit tilted his head. "Why? Should I not be happy? I mean, we're deciding as a group," Kit said excitedly, prompting Feathers to give him a look.

*~*

"We're doing a ballot," Feathers announced as he stood on the table where a small box was placed beside him, and everyone held their own paper from Vee's sketchpad. "The votes are going to be completely anonymous, so that means you don't need to write your names on the paper," Feathers clarified, and they all nodded.

Noogai simply scribbled something down on his paper and walked over to the box, dropping his vote in.

Soon, the others followed suit, with Feathers dropping his next. "Everyone managed to vote?" Feathers inquired, looking at them as they all nodded. "Oji, if you will," Feathers said, gesturing towards the box. Oji nodded, walking up to it and taking out the papers, opening them one by one, before frowning and giving all of them a significant look.

"Alright, I got the votes," Oji sighed as he placed all the papers back inside the box. "I have 3 votes, Feathers has 2 votes, and Kit has one vote," he announced. Kit clapped excitedly as everyone turned to each other and shrugged.

"I kind of prefer if it would be Feathers, though," Oji said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, as Feathers patted his arm. "Anyone against Oji being the new leader?" Feathers turned to them.

"I have no problem with it," Snow said as Vee nodded in agreement. Noogai only shrugged. "Fine," he said curtly, before they all turned to Kit, who was nodding excitedly, bringing out a paper, standing up, and handing it to Oji.

"What's this?" Oji asked as he stared at the empty paper. "This is the announcement paper. Everything you need is here—rules, announcements, and more! Just think of what you want to see, and it will show since you are now the leader!" Kit said excitedly, peering over with a grin.

"Try thinking of the rules, and you'll see," Kit said, waving a hand in front of Oji's face.

"Okay..." Oji said, staring at the blank paper intently, before sighing when nothing appeared.

"Hmm..." Kit hummed, taking the paper from Oji's hands. Soon enough, words appeared on the paper as Oji gaped. "It works, though! Here," Kit shoved it back into Oji's hands as they both stared at the now blank paper.

"What's going on?" Snow asked as he stood up and walked over, grabbing Feathers and propping him on his arm as they peered over Oji's shoulder. "It's just a blank paper," Feathers remarked, as Kit rubbed his brows in confusion.

"But you saw it work earlier, right? It has to work on you; you're the leader," Kit pouted, grabbing the paper again, and the words reappeared once more.

"I think it only works for Kit," Snow mused. "Eh? But... Oji is the leader now," Kit rubbed his neck, staring at Oji apologetically and looking extremely guilty.

"Or he can still be the leader without the paper," Feathers added, but Kit shook his head. "No, absolutely not! The paper is really important!" Kit waved the paper around as Feathers sighed.

"Looks like Kit is still the leader," Feathers concluded.

They all groaned in response, while Noogai simply crossed his legs, looking relaxed.

[simcardiac-arrested]

BOO!!!!! sillyguy jumpscare

“looks like a raver ancient built him” - my friend

“i am SUCH a fan of how you make all of your fanocs annoying himbos with unnecessary swag” - my other friend

“he’s fresh sans” - like, two people

so — he’s finally here!!! the Basketball!!!! be warned INSANE and MINDBLOWING loredrop below‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ as well as some general trivia about NWB + some more silly doodles

The Ancients, dissatisfied with the very prominent lack of results the Iterator project was bringing, began having doubts. Perhaps they had gone about this the wrong way? After all, the jellyfish that doesn’t try is the one that doesn’t get caught in the net. It seemed they had made their design of the Iterators inherently flawed — they tried too hard to solve the Problem, over and over and over again.

It was time for something new. An alternative.

And so, the idea for the Anti-Iterator project was brought into the world — a whole generation of Iterators that didn’t try. Some called it redundant, some pointless. But it convinced plenty, certainly enough to make that idea a reality, and the plan came into fruition.

No Way Back was the first created; his name was given to him to signify a turning point, a new era of Iterators. One that would bring with it change and, hopefully, finally, a solution.

so anyway NWB did absolutely nothing except talk excessively about the ancients’ fashion and sometimes ask them for their drip clothes for his collection and also make cringefail music. the project was discontinued immediately

NOW!!! TOP 10 GAMER TRIVIA:

- makes the shittiest sounding music possible, sincerely believes it’s peak art. if you don’t think the same way he’ll say You dont get it. You just dont

- fan of fashion, art & history, but in a normal way (unlike pebbles). really wishes he could have a whole wardrobe of clothes like his creators, but they’re all gone now </3 and even back then when they were all still alive they. did not like giving him stuff (they did not like him)

- one of them did give him the nikeys though

- most of his creators deemed him useless and didn’t particularly care for him. however, some of them (usually the kids) liked talking with NWB, and he enjoyed interacting with them too. he kind of misses the ancients even if they were asses

- is an enigma to his local group: he barely sends messages, and when he does it’s wildly off topic, and literally NEVER about work related stuff. occasionally he’ll drop his “bangers” in the groupchat and ask for opinions. unfortunately most of the iterators ignore him because they find him annoying (and useless as well. very ancientcore of them)

- kind of incomprehensible. he just says things

- doesn’t really have a god complex so he’s generally friendly, open-minded and easy going, but if you’re mean to him he’ll go Wow. Not cool, man. and he’ll probably give you a lecture like a 90s PSA

- calls himself a DJ. doesn’t even have a proper DJ name. probably doesn’t even know what a club is

- fan of nature, enjoyer of life. has no friends and no purpose but doesn’t let it get to him. at least he can make the equivalent of cbat 2 and force every iterator in the world to listen to it

- he’s stupid but he’s also really smart because. supercomputer. however he chooses to not use his brain and instead be silly. he thinks it’s funnier that way

- sometimes sends his music to other iterators besides his local group’s. they also ignore him

- you really can’t tell when he’s being ironic or not, and whether he’s really THAT dumb or if he’s just trolling. one thing for sure — he loves to mess with the stuck-up iterators from his local group if they decide to bother him

- if the ancients had any equivalent of the 80s, he would’ve been a very very big fan of it

- loves animals too. would call slugcat “little dude”

leave your thoughts in the COMMENTS below!!! remember to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE and listen to DJNWB on SPOTIFY (suddenly becomes normal) if you have any questions feel free to ask and i will answer. i love this guy he’s my everything

[gffa]

Hi there! I’m someone who’s been following you for Star Wars for a while but I’ve become really interested in your DC comics posting recently, and I was wondering - since the franchise has been going for so long and has so many instalments - what you would say to someone who wants to start reading these comics/watching the shows/movies but doesn’t know where to start? Have a lot of the comics been retconned? Is there a particular order one has to read in? Where does one even find these comics…?

My interest in this franchise was literally sparked by the Jason Todd telephone poll so I’m definitely interested in reading more about him - he seems like a character I’d like - and the rest of like, the… Batfamily, I think they’re called? I just have no idea where to start lol - my knowledge of DC is limited to seeing bits of Teen Titans GO when I walked past my little brother watching TV, and watching the Lego Batman movie with him xD

Also! If I’m correct, after observing the fandom, Talia seems like an interesting, complex female character (with some bad writing), like Padm�� or Bo-Katan? I always love those kinds of characters, just wondering if I’d got the right impression of her.

Hi! You've got a solid idea of things so far, so hopefully, this shouldn't be too hard of a climb to get used to the structure! And I'll do my best to explain the structure of comics without getting too lost in the weeds about it. 😂

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW: In my view, comics aren't meant to be a single coherent whole and it's helpful to drop that idea before you get started because otherwise you'll drive yourself around the bend in a fruitless attempt to make everything line up neatly, when it just never will. There is no one single "true" version of the characters, there is no one single creator who is the highest authority on a character, no matter who created the character or even who is most famous for writing them, these are shared characters being written and drawn by a multitude of authors and artists who all have varying takes on them. The characters should stay true to a core personality and traits, but the flexibility of an author to write a character differently from the last person who wrote them is a feature not a bug imo. I like to think of comics as stories being told by different authors playing with action figures and we're in the audience enjoying these stories, regardless of how some authors fit really well together and others completely clash with each other. You can try to make them mesh (sometimes that's fun!) or you can just shrug your shoulders and pick what you like out of the pile of comics that have been handed to you (you'll probably drive yourself less over the edge this way!). Jason is particularly difficult on this aspect, because he often doesn't have a regular book to be written in and his overall place/point in the Batman comics is murky at best somedays and so he is wildly different from author to author. I personally enjoy this, because I think it works for Jason as a character who has some core beliefs, but also is kind of a mess who doesn't really know what he wants, so he veers wildly from one reaction to another. You can read comics in a variety of ways, but I genuinely do not recommend trying to read "in order" because it's a nightmare to try to keep track of everything once it's been a few years and the numbering of these series is the most confusing thing you'll ever meet. Instead, I think it's better to focus on picking up trades (collections of comics that originally came out in single issues, but are put together in a single volume that tells the whole story of that particular run) that sound interesting or come recommended. (And, honestly, it's not even satisfying even if you did do all the work to read them in order. Throw out the idea that comics have a coherent timeline, because they do NOT.)

CONTINUITIES AND DIFFERENT ERAS: The ONLY context I think you need (other than a general sense of the Batfam, we'll get there in a minute) is to understand that there are sort of four "continuities" that you're likely to run into, and this is EXTREMELY simplified/streamlined, so nerds don't come for me on this unless you have a better streamlined and simple version. 😂 - Anything published before 1985-1986 is all "Pre-Crisis" and while reading a lot of the older comics can be super fun, they're generally not super relevant to current comics - In 1985-1986, there was a comics event (an event is where multiple different comic books are all written to be part of a bigger storyline, whereas normally, they don't cross over that much, each book usually has its own self-contained storylines) called "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (which is different from "Infinite Crisis") that was basically a way for DC to streamline all the different versions of the characters running around into one manageable universe. This ran up until about 2011 and I'll often refer to it as the "preboot" or "post-Crisis" continuity. (This is where Jason's death happened, in the storyline "A Death in the Family".) - In 2011, DC wanted to reboot their entire universe with an event called "Flashpoint", with the purpose of creating an all new lineup of 52 comics that new readers could jump right into, which isn't a bad idea in theory. The problem was that people were really attached to the preboot versions of the characters, a lot of the Nu52 comics were really badly written, and there was almost no collaboration. You expect a certain amount of contradiction just by the nature of comics, but there were major issues with "nobody is talking to each other, so everything is a giant mess".

- In 2016, for a variety of reasons (probably including that sales for Nu52 had dipped back down pretty far again), DC rebooted their universe again, with "Rebirth", which is the continuity we're in now. I'm still catching up (I left when Nu52 happened) but I think a lot of preboot events are leaking back into the continuity, but that's not the same as saying it's equal to the preboot continuity in total. This is also the era that I generally talk about the most because I've found it genuinely the most engaging to get back into! Generally, as long as you understand those four eras of continuity, I think you'll be fine in understanding how things are put together. If you want to know where something falls, just check the date and that'll tell you! But, honestly, yeah, background details change all the time, so even within a single continuity there will be retcons--just that there are MASSIVE differences in the Nu52 era that might confuse you if you're unaware of the reboot shenanigans. (Or if you want to understand how Jason returned--like, preboot continuity has the explanation that Superboy Prime (don't ask) punched reality so hard that it shook Jason back to life, even if they never found out about it, that's what happened. I think Nu52 said Talia dug him up and put him in the Lazarus Pit? Don't quote me on that. I flamed out hard on Nu52. Rebirth continuity, they have no idea what the hell happened and I'm not sure there's an explanation. I just assume the Reality Punch leaked back in or something.)

SO, LIKE, WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THESE CHARACTERS? AS SHORT AS I CAN MAKE IT: - Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents being murdered in front of him and this traumatizes him so badly that he withdraws from life to obsess over it, eventually travelling the world for several years to learn every kind of skill he can, until he comes back to Gotham at, like 22 years old or whatever and becomes Batman to fight crime. The only rails on this ride is his butler Alfred who basically raises him from the time he's eight and Alfred is working MIRACLES here, but there's only so much even he can do. He is absolutely Bruce's father figure, even if they rarely frame it in those terms, because Thomas Wayne (Bruce's father) is such an important figure in their lives and because Alfred is extremely British. - Bruce is Batman for a few years, usually depicted as being super grimdark because he's shut his heart against loving anyone ever again because the pain is too much. But then one night he's at a circus performance and there's a terrible "accident" where a little 9 year old boy (shhhh we ignore any other versions than that he was nine, dammit, it's important for the thematic parallels!) witnesses his world-class aerialists parents falling to their deaths. Dick Grayson's grief and loss spark something in Bruce and he takes on this grieving, angry, brilliant little boy as his ward. Now, not even God can stop Dick Grayson, who is going to get justice for his parents' murder, so eventually Bruce reveals that he's Batman and Dick basically barges his way into creating his sidekick persona, Robin. Bruce is not a fan of this, but seriously. He couldn't have stopped that kid, he tried. He could only put a leash on him. Dick brings light and joy back to Wayne Manor and they have the most fascinating relationship--they're father & son, they're brothers, they're best friends, they understand each other like no one else does, they fight like no one else in that family does, they love each other, they're so angry at each other, they're co-dependent and absolutely batshit about each other, they basically raise each other from the time Dick came to Wayne Manor. - Dick eventually grows up and starts clashing with Bruce more, especially as he gains his independence. Different versions happen differently in different continuities, but eventually it hits a boiling point and either Bruce fires him as Robin or Dick quits because he can't deal with this. He goes off to become Nightwing, while Bruce eventually meets another kid who (in the most common version) tries to steal the Batmobile's tires because he needs the money. Circumstances happen, Bruce eventually ends up adopting Jason Todd, who becomes the next Robin. Things are relatively stable for awhile, until Jason learns about his birth mother and runs off to try to reconnect with her, except the Joker's got his sticky fingers all up in this situation, and it results in Jason dying in the exploding building.

- Bruce is Not Doing Well after this, so in comes our favorite horrible little stalker gremlin Tim Drake, who hunts down Dick Grayson and says, hey, you gotta become Robin again because Batman's going to get himself killed if you don't. Dick is like, no, I fucking do not. Tim responds with, well, guess I gotta do it myself then and basically barges his way into being the next Robin. He bonds with Dick as a brother (who is far and way Tim's favorite, imo), he does his best to be as good of a Robin as he can be. - Things are better after that, they're fairly well into Batfamily territory by this point. Jason comes back and, originally, it was supposed to be a trick, it was a villain pretending to be him, but was later retconned to actually be Jason who came back and... it's complicated. I don't think they really knew what to do with him once he came back, so he kind of ping-pongs around with varying levels of villainy for awhile. - Then we get to the time around Batman R.I.P. where a lot of shit happens all at once, especially for Tim. Bruce dies fighting a Justice League villain, Tim also has his bio-dad die around this time, his relationship with his ex-girlfriend/good friend is kind of going to shit, the boy he's in love with (not canon at the time, but current day storylines basically confirm it was true) also died and it wrecked Tim, like he lost his MIND over Conner Kent's death, there's this annoying little shit Damian Wayne who has showed up as the bio-son of Bruce, and then suddenly Bruce also dies. And Dick has to become Batman because Gotham needs Batman and he's in mourning and dealing with Jason being back and everything OFF THE RAILS as various people are like, "No, I'M going to be Batman now!" and Dick has to shut all that shit down and take up the mantle himself despite that he doesn't want it AND deal with Damian being an emotionally traumatized 11 year old baby assassin who has been abused into being a killer his entire life (I mean, it's comics, don't take it too seriously) and he needs something to hold onto or he's going to leave and go back to killing, so Dick and Alfred give the Robin mantle to Damian, which pisses Tim off because he's not doing well and sees it as a betrayal (while Dick was asking for his help as an ally, that he was ready to graduate to being more than just Batman's sidekick) because he's lost so much. - So we have Dick & Damian as Batman & Robin (THIS ERA WAS SO GOOD), Tim as Red Robin (fandom way overplays Tim and Dick's tension, they come back together after their dramatic few months), and eventually they find Bruce who was lost in the time stream (don't ask) and then, WHAM, Nu52 happens. But basically, that's the Robins timeline. I'm skipping over Steph's turn as Robin because it was so short and it was clearly set up just to knock her down, as well as not touching on Cass much because this is long enough as it is and I'm trying to circle back to focusing on Jason-friendly stuff.

WHERE TO START: Ask a dozen different people where to start and you'll get a dozen different answers! I think starting anywhere is fine and it's going to depend on what you like--for example, I'm personally not that into the animated DC movies (not enough of my Blorbo) but "Batman: Under the Red Hood" is generally very well-regarded as an updated version of Jason's return and is nicely self-contained if you want to watch it without much other context. I also think watching the Justice League animated series from 2001 is fantastic if you want a funny, charismatic, streamlined adaptation of what the Justice League is like. (Batman: The Animated Series was groundbreaking at the time and a really good adaptation, but very dated by this point in time, so I hesitate to recommend it too much, even though it's beloved to me.) The Wayne Family Adventures is an absolutely adorable, delightful webtoon adaptation that is very light-hearted compared to the mainline comics! I like recommending it to new fans because I think it's super easy to start reading without too much extraneous context and gives you an idea of the characters' relationships to each other, so long as you understand that it is EXTREMELY soft and is much in the vein of LEGO Batman content--you're not supposed to take it super seriously, there are times it's deliberately crossing into something like parody territory, but that doesn't mean it's not genuinely funny, charming, and a great read. @fantastic-nonsense has an incredibly thorough list of recommendations for comics by character here, and you can scroll down to the Jason Todd section and start reading there! Or you can check out the "A STARTING POINT: BATMAN IN OTHER MEDIA" section because I pretty much 100% agree with everything she says about the various adaptations. I like recommending "Young Justice" as an introduction to DC, so long as you understand that it's a loose adaptation and that the team compositions and various relationships are not always going to be accurate to comics dynamics. I have my own comics recs tag, but I'm more Dick-focused, so your mileage is going to vary on how useful you might find my recs! But basically, you can't go wrong with starting with "A Death in the Family", then "Under the Red Hood" (movie then comics) and "Red Hood: The Lost Days". Basically, anything by Judd Winick has a good chance of being a solid read for him. It's hard to recommend Jason comics, because so many of them are either not great or require knowledge of the events that are going on around the same time--but, honestly, once you're familiar with the set-up, I do think you can pick up almost any trade and pick up context along the way. I personally also loved "Robins: Being Robin" series, because all five of the Robins working to solve a case together and being unhinged weirdos at each other is my jam. (But I like pretty much anything Tim Seely writes!) I also always recommend the 2016 Nightwing series because Dick is my Blorbo, but I also think "Robin & Batman" by Jeff Lemire is a fantastic story to understand who baby Dick Grayson is and his relationship with Bruce, and both "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" are some of the best Batman comics I've ever read, but they can be tough to get through if you don't like Tim Sale's very stylized art.

WHERE TO FIND THESE THINGS TO READ? The movies and animated series should be on HBOMax and/or Netflix, and comics I always recommend hitting up your library to see what they have--so many libraries have a ton of comics available, especially digitally! And, if you have a library card, it's very possible that your library partners with Hoopla, where they have a ton of Batman comics! You can also check out DC Universe, which has almost all DC comics if you get a subscription.

TL;DR: If you want bigger context on how all this stuff works, start with either "Justice League" or "Young Justice", they're really cute, fun adaptations. If you want to get straight to the Jason stuff, start with "A Death in the Family" --> "Under the Red Hood" --> "Red Hood: The Lost Days" --> "Batman: Urban Legends vol. 1". (And, yeah, you have the right impression of Talia! She often gets written as a villain, but she's also often a lot more complex than that, it really depends on who you get to write her. The corner of fandom I hang out in is generally more generous to her, but some of the actual comics can be kind of rough. But she's complex and has a lot of sharp edges, so, you know, I love her, too. 😂)

[wrens-garden]

Outsiders, Krowfangs POV, episode 1.

These are hours long, so I might get through maybe 2 a day. This specific episode is 4 and half hours long, so I doubt it's all important, I'll try to keep the notes fairly short for everyone's convenience, theories might be saved for separate posts. Enjoy

Edit: I've looked through the playlist, and the channel I found the vods on, and episode 12 is gone. Is it fully gone, or can I find it elsewhere?

Krow seems overwhelmed, obviously

It doesn't think they want to know what it's been eating for the past 2 months.

It's been told no one else has survived and is understandably upset and in denial. It's been told about the lever and has moved from denial to anger, just speed running the stages of grief rn

Krow is really leaning into anger in the stages of grief. That and denial, which honestly is different from everyone else, I believe, so that's fun.

Soup is hitting the sound barrier right now, queen lower your mic please.

Krow really hates Beks, I think I could tell in Owen's POV, but I didn't really know how much.

It sucks that Krow and Soup didn't get time to grieve before they had to leave, clearing 2. Like, I get why they had to leave so quickly, but it still sucks that they didn't even get a minute.

Krow seems to mesh well with Mohwee and kinda meshes well with Oeca.

Krows planning to destroy clearing 1 from the inside out

"That's what I'm saying!" - Mohwee about literally anything Krow says. Love a hype man

Mohwee, Oeca and Krow are making fun of Ori

Gracie is being sweet at least, she does say that people care even if it doesn't seem like it. Krow has just been told Apo was an elected leader, elected after the levers were flipped, so now it doubts everyone's judgement. Which makes perfect sense to me.

Krow is just bullying Oeca, I love this so much. Krow really doesn't like Ori. Krow has acquired Mohwees shoes.

Owen has called Krow twisted for not trusting those that voted for Apo. Squidney has offered Krow a place to sleep in her kitchen until it makes a house.

Ori is going to jump off his tree and is trusting Krow to catch him. Apparently, he's done this with everyone. Why? Krow tried, Ori caught himself, but Krow still tried. Krow thinks Ori is smart.

Krow really likes the denial and anger stages. Planning to throw Apo into the maze to die from Grievers.

It's noting that Owen puts a lot of trust in people and knows a lot.

Krow is quite observant. Clearing 2 had a stocked shooting range underground, so if they had things underground, there are probably some things there left to scavenge.

Some of the chat head cannoned Krow having bad vision because of its hair covering its eyes (and irl being from shaders), which is so funny, but Krow having generally bad vision could be perfect for angst or just generally funny moments.

Krow walked onto a lit bonfire, which is certainly something.

Dramatic flashback time - Soup is coming to give Krow leather so it could make books for Percival. Bek broke a fence and released cows, then didn't fix it. Griever! They get in the cave and there's a screech then the sound of rocks falling!

That was actually really good, I love a flashback, even if it's only from earlier in the maze, arguably I love them more as it expands character especially for people we didn't get to see at the start of the series. It provides enough info about all characters named while also being fast-paced.

I don't think I missed anything, but let me know if I did. As much as I'm sure I'll try, videos that are more than 2 hours can start to drag for me, so I'm trying to spread the videos out throughout my day to keep me engaged. So I might have missed something lore wise or just interesting about maze Krow. Please remember I'm here for the characters, so unless I've accidentally crossed a boundary or messed up a pronoun, please nothing about the content creators.

[crying-fantasies]

Rodimus wasn't ready to be a creator P4

Masterlist

Part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4: Another chance | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10

Night cycles in the Lost light are, to say the least, frequently quiet if bots don't get too rowdy in Swerve's or if there is not a universal crisis and everyone is running for their collective survival.

The very first time that Blacksun was exposed to this kind of incident he only had a few years and his name was still Sunset Eve, he can still remember the sound of the emergency alert, the Lost Light trembling, his carrier running for dear life with him in arms, pressing his helm to her chest to prevent him from seeing what was really happening, round optics tearing coolant while his carrier, his mother, tried to get him to safety.

And safety meant his sire or any other bot around.

True is that he couldn't have survived that time or many of the others that came after if it wasn't for the bots around, more than once he was saved by these bots and while he was a sparkling he kind of idolized his sire whole crew, frag, he was even a fan of the literal ship.

But now he just wanted to have a a good night cycle of recharge, but he can so clearly feel his berth rumble to the high volume music that is coming so obviously from Swerve's, even his derma is vibrating with the song, he recognizes that it's organic, human, of course it is, and it's a good one, but he really is too tired for this, especially when he hears the sound a fight ensuing.

So under the whisper of a "Primus, ¿por qué?" and a pair of very tired optics he opened the door to the bar.

And immediately try to turn around and escape because it was a disaster.

When he was a sparkling his carrier always told him to be a gentlebot, always say please and thank you, refer to your elders with care and respect, always clean your mess.

But then his carrier, his mom, was shouting profanities when the situation was too fucked up or when you had enough of his sire and crew shenanigans.

So he kind of does both.

"Hey, hey! Don't you fragging dare to offline now, uncle Drift!"

Uncle and aunt, big brother and sister, sir and madame, miks (mx), miss and mister, a human thing that he can't still brush off his processor.

Blacksun tried to be as respectful as possible because he knows that every bot in this ship has, to some point and degree, taken care of him and his creators, so he must be grateful.

So he gets force from Primus-knows-where to move his cables and pistons to carry many to their respective habsuits, getting help from other bots that get out of their habsuits hearing his tired ex-vents or because the bot he is dragging is their energex-knocked up conjunx, everyone thanks him for it but there is always the one or two that try to fight with him, and there's always the ones that start sobbing desperately while calling someone's name, like that individual will come and get them, bring them happiness.

Anger and second hand embarrassment are normal, of course, but he knows that they are wasted in engex and the party, a memorial party in honor of who they lost, and he remembers how this very same bots helped his sire in battle or journeys and his carrier when her body presented it's limitations in such a big ship.

He is a bit smaller than some but he manages, finally sighing in relief when he notices Ultra Magnus and Megatron looking at him with pity while he is dragging along two bots to the same place.

His return to the bar, especially to this area, makes him stop when he finds what used to be the habsuits of the human personnel, it has been abandoned since a very long time ago and many aren't ready to invite new humans aboard.

The blue flowers that are carefully put in the entrance show that many bots are still grieving.

He tries to think of better things, with the help of more sober bots he can finally find the last bot that he was searching, his sire...

"I believe in a thing called love~"

His fucked up sire that is holding a photo of his carrier and the golden bracelet, that damn bracelet, between his digits and singing a way too old love song.

His sad and lonely dad, that he has to drag around to his berth even if he isn't sure if it is the best, because there are many other photos of his carrier there.

"Baby Sunny, so strong already" his dad is smiling a lot, way too gone and reeking of energex, it's a miracle he is still online.

That he is holding the photo and bracelet so strongly.

With brute force he finally gets his sire on berth, initiating the protocol to get him some rest.

"Hey, dad"

"Hum?"

"Haven't you ever, at least once, you know..." He tries to be calm about it, "...think about seen other mechs? Other people?"

There is silence, and the merry go lucky smile on his sire's face plate is totally gone, it's one of those pretty rare instances when he looks death serious without a stupid idea in mind, they have already talked about it, several times, especially around this time of year.

Almost a few hundred of years have gone by since that, but Blacksun knows that almost every mech in the ship can remember the strong movement brought by the collision, the sound of decompression in every corner and silence before hundreds of little screams could be heard, Blacksun knows that part well, because Rewind recorded all of it even if he didn't want to, he was literally there when the Lost Light external protection was exploded and their human friends were devoured by outer space itself, the ones that weren't close, well, the invaders found them and no one was showed mercy, little organics exposed to aggressive bots that played with their bodies.

Rodimus never told Blacksun what was the destiny, and end, of his mother.

Blacksun can't remember as clear as he would want, (he really doesn't want to, he only wants closure), Ratchet said that it was because of trauma and he should go see a therapist, but there are not many out there, he has heard time and time again how many said that his sire was utterly devastated when his carrier's spark, heart, gave out, he heard his own sire saying how he believed that they had more time, that there was still time.

What- just, what was his father thinking when he made the conjunx ritual with an organic? A being that was to live way more little compared to him?

Blacksun would never understand, he really tries and gets nothing more out of the fact that his father loved his mother, as simple as that, but it still hurts when he sees his father like this, smiling for his sake and by his memories while trying to sound like everything is going to be alright.

"When you get a conjunx, you will understand your old man"

"Uhum, just recharge, dad"

Rodimus, deep down, wished that his son would never get to experience something like that.

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 5, Episode 4. TIFF 2024 Round-Up, Part II

In the second part of the Stereo Geeks' 2024 Toronto International Film Festival round-up, Mon reviews the documentary Vice Is Broke and the film The Luckiest Man in America. Ron discusses We Live in Time and The Salt Path.

For more TIFF film recommendations, find Ron and Mon's reviews at womenwriteaboutcomics.com

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

Image credit: Courtesy of TIFF

RON: Welcome back to Stereo Geeks. Today’s our second round-up episode of films we saw at the Toronto International Film Festival. I’m Ron.

MON: And I’m Mon. Today, I’m reviewing the documentary Vice Is Broke and the film The Luckiest Man in America. 

RON: And I’m chatting about We Live in Time and The Salt Path. 

MON: Vice Is Broke is a documentary by Edward Huang, a former creator for Vice who was affected by the company going bankrupt. 

While I, like many others, have consumed articles and media by Vice, I didn’t know anything about its origins, its rise to being a formidable media company, and its eventual demise. So this was an insightful documentary for me to understand how Vice was so influential, and where it went wrong. 

RON: That sounds scary. 

MON: Honestly, a lot of this documentary made me see red. It explained how and why the US is in the mess it’s in now, though I don’t think that was the intention of the film. 

From the sounds of it, Vice was like The Wolf of Wall Street on steroids, especially in the early days. And then it got caught in the usual capitalism cycle, so, unless a person was a big gun they could literally work for years without the credit they deserved. 

I question some of the choices Huang made in the doc. He kept cutting to these random shots of the talking heads’ shoes or gestures. He also kept in shots of himself, I don’t know, it was like he was thinking or listening? They were incongruous. I’ve seen this being done in other docs or news items — but a lot of times these are just in there as fillers. Maybe the creators have another meaning for them, but they didn't mean much to me as a viewer. 

Huang also keeps harping on about how Vice was like Xavier’s School for Mutants — from the X-Men comics — because it was a place for freaks to be themselves. But he doesn’t take the analogy far enough to say that the school, while flawed, also has rules, regulations and a deep need to do the right thing. Vice, from what Huang suggests in Vice Is Broke, was just a place for dudes and ignorant people to be their worst selves and never get called out for it. 

The big problem with this doc is that Huang does an interview with Gavin McInnes, who was the founder of Vice before being ousted. Eventually, McInnes went on to found the far-right white nationalist hate group the Proud Boys. And this guy, he comes into the documentary with figurative guns blazing. He’s a disgusting, racist and incendiary man. I was literally cursing at the screen at the footage they showed of him. No wonder the US is messed up! 

So, when Huang is talking to McInnes, this guy purposely obfuscates everything Huang asks him about his beliefs. Now, mind you, the interview for Vice Is Broke is not about white nationalism, but there’s a throughline from the edgelord, lowest common denominator stuff that Vice peddled over the years, and the formation of the Proud Boys. You’d expect Huang to probe McInnes more, or at the very least, berate and belittle him for his ludicrous claims. Huang does not. It’s frustrating. 

But what’s worse is that, Huang, I felt, misunderstands how the likes of McInnes and eventual owner of Vice, Shane Smith, think. One doesn’t need to know them personally to know what leads to someone creating a bloodthirsty hate group, nor how their colleague pockets a yearly income of $100 million for a company that eventually dies and leaves its creators unpaid. They are greedy and crave power. That’s it. It’s not rocket science. I wish Huang had dealt with the insidiousness of this element of corporate greed and collapse more. 

Honestly, seeing some of the things I did in this documentary, I get why the US has such a warped view of itself and the rest of the world. Vice Is Broke put into perspective American media for me. It may just be one company, but if everyone wanted to be like Vice, it explains how their media has done a brilliant job of painting all the prejudiced nutters inside their borders as the cool outsiders and everyone outside their country as a gun-toting, drug-addled cannibal. I get it now. But it’s so scary to think that their people have been consuming these perspectives for years and now it’s too late to change it. 

Huang has a personal stake in bringing this story to light, but I also believe this story needs to be told, and who better than someone who was on the inside? 

Vice Is Broke is more of a foundational crash course into understanding how such a well-known and influential company imploded, and how the signs were there well before the plug was pulled. I hope there will be more investigations into the company, especially how its mostly-white executives purposely manipulated their coverage of other countries to make them look horrible and scary. Shameful company, and it’s probably just the tip of the iceberg.

RON: Yikes! Well, that’s eye-opening. Let’s go to a completely unrelated, but equally exasperating viewing experience, We Live in Time.

One of the reasons I wanted to watch this movie was because of the absolutely bonkers poster featuring the main cast and a wide-eyed terrifying carousel horse. Watching the film, I was shocked, shocked I say, that the horse had nary an appearance in the film. When it did finally show up, it was hidden by lens glare.

MON: That’s outrageous! The horse wuz robbed!

RON: The film itself is a charming love story about a couple and their life together. Except, it’s told out of order. Andrew Garfield plays Tobias, who works in marketing at Weetabix. The brand is name-dropped several times during the film. Florence Pugh plays Almut, a chef who’s also participated in several cooking competitions. 

Because the story is told out of order, we first see them already living in a comfortable routine with their daughter. Then we find out that Almut has cancer and it’s the second time she’s had it. The film hops between their journey through the tough decisions they need to make around her diagnosis and how they first met and fall in love. 

The chemistry between Garfield and Pugh is off the charts. This film would not work if they didn’t have chemistry but fortunately it’s so strong that they make for a believable couple. 

We don’t get to see much of Tobias’ work but we do get to see Almut being a chef and a competition she joins. These were my favourite parts. As with The Bear, I love watching fictional depictions of cooking. The food in this film is gorgeous to look at. 

So far so good, right? Wrong! 

MON: Oh no. Why, what happens? 

RON: If there is one thing I cannot stand in films is when characters act unnaturally. Unfortunately, this film has the characters end up in far too many unlikely situations, and they make the weirdest choices. Some of them just don’t make sense.

Look, I know that by dint of this being a film, it’s going to be contrived. It’s not real. But my suspension of disbelief can only go so far. Just as Almut is having contractions, they find that their teeny car has been blocked in by both sides. It turns out to be a false alarm, but when Almut is actually ready to give birth, they end up in a traffic jam and she has to deliver at a gas station. At one point, Tobias crashes someone’s baby shower to make a grand apology to Almut. Come on now! People don’t do things like that. 

MON: Yeah, this Hollywood trope of women always being in peril during labour is ridiculous. Eden had a really outrageous scene in it, but that might actually have happened. Who knows. 

RON: Yeah. Annoying. Almut also makes some wild decisions while undergoing cancer treatment which, honestly, leaves one to wonder if she ever felt appreciated in her professional ambitions. Like, my goodness, if you have to go behind your partner’s back for this stuff, what is happening in the relationship?

But what really put me off this film was some of the disturbing messages around motherhood. We already know that they have a daughter. Later in the film we see them as they’re first dating and Almut says she doesn’t want kids whereas Tobias does. They have a row but decide to continue the relationship and obviously they do have a child. 

Now this really bothered me because this is the constant narrative that’s shoved onto women. No matter how a woman feels about not having kids, people always say that she’ll change her mind. Because all women are just dying to have kids, right? When do we get to see the inverse? When do we get to see a female character saying she doesn’t want to have kids and then not having them?

MON: I can think of Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, but yeah, that’s a frustrating trope. 

RON: This film somehow makes it worse. Almut used to have a female partner and they broke up because Almut didn’t want children but her partner did. And then she ends up wanting to have a child with Tobias. It’s literally that awful line that a woman will change her mind about kids if she meets the right man. Good grief!

Even worse, by choosing to ensure she can conceive a child in the future, Almut leaves herself open to a cancer relapse. So a woman should put her health and life in danger for the future possibility of conception?

Then, right at the end of the film, there seemed to be this undertone of women giving up their professional dreams to put the needs of their family first. Which was just the cherry on top of this horrible motherhood is supreme cake.

MON: Wowza! I am so glad I didn’t bother watching this film. That sounds yugh!!!! No thanks. You know it’s going to win all the acting awards right?

RON: Ugh, please. I don’t want to think about this film any more. 

MON: Not to worry, I’m here to distract you with The Luckiest Man in America! 

I was quite excited to watch this film. I love game shows, and I like films about game shows. Unfortunately The Luckiest Man in America turned out to be seriously disappointing.

The film is based on the true story of a man named Michael Larson, who was on a show called Press Your Luck and got on a record-breaking winning streak. Who is this man, how did he get on the show, and how was he this lucky? The film ekes out this information slowly as the episode shooting continues. 

Paul Walter Hauser plays Michael, who is in awe of the show’s co-creator Bill Carruthers, played by David Strathairn. Bill brings Michael onto the show despite his casting director Chuck (played by Shamier Anderson) warning him that something’s off about Michael. Other characters of note are game show host Peter Tomarken, played by Walton Goggins, and Sylvia, the runner/PA, played by Maisie Williams. 

My problem with the film was that most of the information was left out — it felt a lot like the creators took a ‘if you know you know’ approach to the storytelling. As someone who did not know, I was lost about the rules of the game or who the players in the story were. Without knowing who the characters were, I couldn’t understand their motivations or the stakes for them either. 

I wish they’d been clearer about how much of the shooting made it on screen. Is it one episode or several? Those technicalities tripped up the storytelling. 

RON: Oh man, that sucks. You were so excited for this film. 

MON: The film is on cruise control. It’s like the creators know what the ending is so they don’t attempt to ramp up the tension at all. The narrative has no rhythm and that’s where this film falls flat. 

Another weird grouse is that none of the wigs looked right. At first I thought it was just the one for Anderson and I was going to rage about the hair and makeup department not knowing how to treat their Black actors properly, but no, all the wigs looked bad. 

RON: That’s just bizarre. Tell me there was something good about this film?

MON: Yeah, all the performances are good, so it’s a real shame the film isn’t that exciting. Paul Walter Hauser is great as Michael. He gives Michael a standoffish and intense vibe without adding annoying affectations. But, Michael does have a particular way of playing the game, and Hauser manages to capture that affectation every single time. That can’t have been easy, but he was splendid in this.

Shamier Anderson is outstanding in The Luckiest Man in America. He has a smallish role, but he’s excellent. And he has such a striking screen presence. We need more of this man in Hollywood.

I’m so disappointed in The Luckiest Man in America. I’d have preferred a bad film over a disappointing one. 

RON: I couldn’t agree more. On a more positive note, let me end our round-up with The Salt Path.

Based on a true story, The Salt Path follows Raynor and Moth Winn, played by Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, a couple who owned a farm and then lost everything. With their children away at university, the Winns make the impromptu decision to walk the Salt Path.

They have very little money to live of off—essentially, they get a £40 tax credit every month. And that’s meant to cover their food and camping needs, as well as any emergency shelter they may need. 

Neither of them has done much hiking in a while, and Moth has a degenerative disease that requires that he rest, not really possible when they’re hiking. But they persevere through the hardships and inclement weather, as well as the pain that Moth is constantly suffering, to find a kind of freedom and peace in nature that they hadn’t realized they wanted. 

They also realise how much they love each other when all the trappings of life are stripped away. 

MON: Awww. That sounds sweet. 

RON: Yeah, this was quite a wholesome film and absolutely beautiful to look at. There are so many shots of the ocean behind them as they’re walking up these steep cliffs. They find themselves in these verdant forests and fields. So much beautiful green. It really kicked my wanderlust into gear. There was one point when I wanted to jump into the film, the landscape was gorgeous. 

MON: Yeah, I feel you. 

RON: But nothing in this film made me want to go hiking and camping. Nope. I want to see beautiful nature but not if I have to deal with eating spaghetti all the time and not having access to facilities. 

MON: I’m with you there. 

RON: The Salt Path works well because the central couple have plenty of chemistry. Never in a million years would I have imagined Anderson and Isaacs in a film together but they capture the vibe of an old married couple. 

Ray is very much the pragmatist, checking their finances constantly, deciding what snacks they should and shouldn’t buy. She’s the cake police among the two of them. 

Moth is an optimist. He’s sure everything will work out. Or that they’ll figure out how to make it work. He refuses to be a fatalist. Even when he’s talking about death, especially his impending death, according to doctors, he’s not fatalistic about it. Things will work out. 

I’m still not sure why their house got repossessed. They mention something about an investment and having to take on someone else’s debt. Moth’s friend appears to have been the one who led them to this situation. But I’m not sure about the specifics. Doesn’t really matter but I was curious about it.

One part that did bother me was when Moth stops taking his medication. After some nasty withdrawals, he feels much better. He says his mind is clearer and his mobility and pain improves as well. I’m glad things worked out for Moth. That walking and the hiking diet helped him. But I wish there had been some message or at least a dialogue saying, don’t do this at home. Other people with this disease might be tempted to forgo their doctor’s orders and chuck their medication away. But that may not work out for everyone. It’s a dangerous message to share in a film. 

This film made me think about Nomadland. Because it’s a somewhat similar situation. Older people without a home or livelihood because of circumstances beyond their control. Far too many countries have no plans for their older populations. Either you have a ton of savings and a great pension, or you’re out in the street. It’s absolutely terrifying and enraging, despite this film ending on a very hopeful note. 

There is one funny part that I want to highlight. While Ray and Moth are hiking, people keep calling him Simon. They’re so confused about it. Then they ask him about his writing, and they’re even more confused. Eventually it’s revealed that the poet Simon Armitage is doing the same journey and people just assumed Moth was him. This was really funny because we had a poetry reading by Armitage back in Dubai talking about this journey. Felt very full circle to me.

MON: Wow, that’s certainly a blast from the past for us. I’m glad The Salt Path was a good experience. Sounds interesting.And that’s it for our two-parter of TIFF 2024 round-up reviews. We enjoyed our time at TIFF, and if you’re looking for more recommendations or opinions about this year’s TIFF films, head on over to womenwriteaboutcomics.com for the rest of our film reviews. Until then, see you next time.