#but yes that commentary absolutely disgusts me

[mxtxfanatic]

Just wanna say for those of y’all who came into this fandom late: just a few years ago, speaking on Jiang Cheng with anything less than glowing praise used to bring so much harassment that “angry grape”-related tags had to be created to circumvent jc stans finding and subsequently dogpiling your posts. I’ve since seen this tagging convention appropriated by his stans to be an “affectionate” petname for his character. If you wrote a wangxian fic in which Jiang Cheng did not appear, your fics would get bombarded with stans flooding your comments with their own headcanons on why Jiang Cheng isn’t around but “this is how he’d react if he was” and “everyone loves him, they’re definitely thinking about him, rn” and “when is he supposed to show up, op???” If you read a wangxian fic and Jiang Cheng did appear, there was a 95% chance that you would have to slog through thousands of words of abuse apologia paired with every character (except maybe Lan Wangji, maybe) claiming that Wei Wuxian deserved to be abused and should just learn to handle it better because abuse is really love. It took me a year of reading purely (only, exclusively) wangxian fics to find a single fic that had both 1) canon Jiang Cheng and 2) did not twist the other characters into fanon iterations to justify canon Jiang Cheng’s abusive behavior. When more canon writers started appearing, their fics got flooded with negativity, claims that the fic wasn’t realistic because “jc isn’t like that,” and demands to change things. They started moderating their comment sections. Eventually, jc stan writers even stopped tagging Jiang Cheng in their fics despite writing him as a major character because people began to avoid reading fics if they knew from the tags that his character appeared.

The “canon jc” tag was created on tumblr because jc stans said that if we didn’t like being attacked for canon opinions we should “create our own tag.” It was not a tag that always existed. Nobody used it until my friends created it. And every few months after that, we’d get a new “flood the tag” campaign by jc stans pissed at the name until it died down… until twitter refugees arrived, bringing with them a new faction of jc stans. That jc appreciate week or whatever they call it that starts on Halloween? Created by jc stans in an attempt to flood out Wei Wuxian appreciation posts on his birthday by making sure that new Jiang Cheng content would dominate all the major tags on that day. I watched the creators brag about that.

One BIG fandom upset happened when a jc stan wrote a horribly mistagged rape and murder wangxian fic and had their friends promote it so that wangxian lovers would read the fic and be traumatized. They gloated about having "successfully baited people," then tried to delete their tweets admitting it when they got them in trouble. I was there for that, too, and I only dodged being triggered because I saved the fic to read for later instead of cracking it open immediately.

Some of y’all may see me around now, but I’ve been watching this fandom for much longer than I’ve been making posts, before even the friends and mutuals I know now even knew I existed (yes I was a lurker lol). I’ve seen the development of all this play out across tumblr, ao3, and twitter (despite my best efforts to avoid the twitter side, that’s how ubiquitous it was). That’s how inescapable it was. I saw so much shit go down that I already had a mile-wide blocklist before I made my first post, and even then, I still got hate commentary on some of my posts the moment I dipped my littlest toe into metas. I had anon off for like a year because I didn’t want to deal with any harassment, and the moment I turned it off, I started getting bait anons (though not as bad as the others I’ve seen, holy shit). When I started this blog, all I did was liveblog and reblog other people’s art and metas. I was so stressed entering this fandom because the shit I had seen off rip was absolutely disgusting. That’s why I have very intentional rules of engagement that I try to hold to for myself. I may never be the first to start the fight, but I damn sure will defend myself and my friends. I also will never run away from admitting my mistakes, but I will also never be bullied into treating someone’s personal fantasies as equal to the actual factual text.

This isn’t to say that fanon enjoyers don’t get harassment. Another big fandom scandal was that a popular fanfic writer obsessed with canon had been harassing other writers through a series of bot accounts into leaving the fandom. What a lot of people don’t bring up in their bid to paint canon enjoyers as particularly prone to “fandom bullying,” however, was that the “canon” they were obsessed with was tied almost exclusively to the canon wangxian’s top/bottom sexual dynamic. I’d read that person’s works before—enjoyed them, even, before the scandal happened. They wrote fanon into their fics in other ways. The fanon/canon divide isn’t the problem; entitlement to unanimous fandom praise and recognition is.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying canon or fanon, nothing right or wrong or morally superior for either camp. But do me a favor: go into the main jiang cheng character tag right now, and count how often you see a post about Jiang Cheng that portrays him in a negative light. Not one that portrays him as an snarky asshole or a teacher’s pet or a helicopter parent or a crybaby who only wants to be loved, but one which shows him in all of his uncensored glory as a piece of shit antagonist. How often do you see fanart of Jiang Cheng that isn’t “best jiujiu” or “sad didi” or “badass sect leader”? How often do you see metas that don’t include some iteration of “everyone is just so mean about poor little jc who just didn’t have a choice in anything he ever did 😢”? Go to the main novel tag and do the same. Hell, go to the wangxian tag and see what you find while you’re at it. How many of those posts are viral compared to “look at jc with his dogs!” or “look, I made lxc and jc kiss!” Then tell me whether or not you believe that jc stans are being specifically targeted for some unique and undeserved persecution by the fandom at large.

[hearts4bridget]

repost: i accidentally just deleted :(

the results of the us presidential election have got me thinking about how the only three female prime ministers in the uk have been absolutely ridiculed and humiliated in the media, even after their deaths. it’s not that i agree with their policies or their political leanings, because i don’t, but where is that same energy with male prime ministers like winston churchill, who not only was a racist alcoholic, but literally was complicit in a famine?? margaret thatcher’s grave has been defiled and people, mostly men of course, casually joke about pissing on her grave and call her a witch. liz truss was turned into a meme in the media and portrayed as unintelligent and out of touch. where was that energy when rishi sunak quite literally borrowed a sainsbury’s worker’s car for a photo shoot to seem ‘relatable’? yes, men are also critiqued in the media but not to the extent these two women were. there isn’t commentary on what the men are wearing or what their hairstyle is, they’re not laughed at for wearing the same outfit more than once. women are villainised in positions of power and the fact that almost 70 million americans would rather vote for a convicted felon, rapist, racist and fraud over a well-qualified, morally centered and ethical candidate, because she is a WOMAN is only the latest proof of that. as someone who won’t be directly affected by the ruling i still think it’s absolutely disgusting and highlights the fact that misogyny is so much more ingrained in our society than anyone gives it credit for being

[immediatebreakfast]

It's kinda fun, and all of that make jokes about how Van Helsing is probably shitting himself out of fear while Mina watches him without blinking a single time, but considering the whole picture between the two... Van Helsing is in a deeply fucked up situation straight up from a more horror like narrative than a gothic one.

Yes, there is a really good difference between the Gothic and Horror as literary genres. The Gothic genre uses amplified emotions such as terror as a response plot device to give commentary on any socio-political-cultural anxieties that were happening in the real time period which the plot is centered. More times than once it is also hand in hand with a personification of these anxieties in the form of the Monster or the Villain of the story. However, in the Horror genre this terror shapes itself in the front and center of the narrative as a way to explore the extreme of the darkness that lays within the human condition through emotions like disgust or the emotionally disturbing. By putting the characters in unsettling conditions, and against the inevitable grotesque, the Horror makes the readers have a reaction to its situation, and questions about said reactions as humans beings.

And what else to call this if not Horror? How does the character of Van Helsing, a man who thrived in the Gothic setting as the role of the foreign man of science with rational and cultural knowledge on his side, can defend himself against this change when the literary Horror declares that he can shifted from protagonist to victim whenever the narrative decides to inflict a new emotion to the reader?

Well, this sudden shift leaves Van Helsing utterly afraid.

She make no entry into her little diary, she who write so faithful at every pause. Something whisper to me that all is not well. However, to-night she is more vif.

There is nobody else but him, and Mina in this isolated mountain as winter falls down on the ground, absolutely nobody to turn for help.

At sunset I try to hypnotise her, but alas! with no effect; the power has grown less and less with each day, and to-night it fail me altogether. Well, God's will be done—whatever it may be, and whithersoever it may lead!

As Mina changes the closer she gets to Dracula's castle, it was never like this and never so unnervingly quickly.

I go to help her; but she smile, and tell me that she have eat already—that she was so hungry that she would not wait. I like it not, and I have grave doubts; but I fear to affright her, and so I am silent of it. 

With only his journal as a listening ear for his very justified worries, because Van Helsing fears that the questioning would finally break the very thin liminal feeling that is protecting him right now.

Madam still sleep, and she look in her sleep more healthy and more redder than before. And I like it not. And I am afraid, afraid, afraid!—I am afraid of all things—even to think but I must go on my way. The stake we play for is life and death, or more than these, and we must not flinch.

Right now Van Helsing is holding in his hands the promise that he made to both Mina and Jonathan before departing, he is holding onto that little ray of hope that tells him to ignore all of the warning signs all over Mina that any other character except Jonathan wouldn't have just ignored. All of these days Van Helsing is taking care of Mina while praying that she doesn't kill him if her transformation becomes complete before ever teaching their revenge, he has to write his "last" letter now before he can't ever write again.

[thegreymoon]

Do you think Mo Ran is misogynistic to Song Qiutong? How do you feel about Rong Jiu and Song Qiutong writing in 2ha?

I'm assuming that this ask is from the same person who sent that other one I just answered.

No, I don't think that Mo Ran is misogynistic. In his right mind, he has been nothing but loving and respectful to all women he came across, with the exception of Song Qiutong whom he hated for the kind of person she was, not because she was a woman. In fact, his deep hatred of Song Qiutong is not even so much about hating her, but about hating what she enabled him to do. She encouraged the worst side of him, and even though she was the one who betrayed the Rufeng Sect, he was the one to raze it to the ground and kill Ye Wangxi. All the evil she caused as Empress (up to and including torturing Chu Wanning) was because he gave her leave to do so. She was the one who opened the doors to let Chu Wanning escape for that final 0.5 fight, but it was Mo Ran's actions that led Chu Wanning to such extremes in the first place. She disgusted him, but his hatred of her was magnified because she was so intimately tied to his own regrets and shame.

Honestly, I find Song Qiutong and Rong Jiu (and Shi Mei) fans who level these kinds of baseless accusations at Mo Ran to make their slimy faves look better completely exhausting. Yeah, Mo Ran hated Song Qiutong in a sea of other women whom he was very respectful of because she was a vile person who was intimately tied to his own evildoing. No, he was not misogynistic, he was just in a toxic marriage and hated this one woman in particular, not all women as a group. No, he is not a rapist for frequenting brothels and sleeping with Rong Jiu. Yes, Rong Jiu did actually scheme to murder Mo Ran in both timelines, it is not Mo Ran's "biased-ass POV" baselessly accusing him (an actual thing I've had a Rong Jiu stan tell me). Yes, both Rong Jiu and Song Qiutong were doing their best to survive, but just because they were born into horrible circumstances does not change the fact that they were also horrible people who never hesitated for a moment to throw others under the bus if it meant they would benefit from it, up to and including murder (or in Song Qiutong's case, the slaughter of entire cities).

Another thing that I find especially hilarious about these accusations against Mo Ran is that there is usually an overlap between Rong Jiu and Song Qiutong fans and Shi Mei fans. It is so funny that they are so ready to hate on Mo Ran for what he did to Rong Jiu and Song Qiutong but conveniently forget that Shi Mei killed them both in a pretty brutal fashion in the second timeline just because it was useful to him. He did not even have a personal grudge the way Mo Ran did. Also, it is no coincidence that there are so many parallels between Rong Jiu, Song Qiutong and Shi Mei. The likeness between them is not just skin-deep. All three of them are cruel opportunists with no conscience to speak of and only their own self-interest in mind.

I feel that Meatbun wrote her novel as a detailed commentary on evil and human weakness and how people end up there, starting from mundane, petty, self-serving evil that is on display in a multitude of scenes in the book among ordinary, common people, to the absolutely unhinged extremism that we saw in Shi Mei. Song Qiutong and Rong Jiu are somewhere in the middle of the scale.

[frauenfootball]

One thing I was disgusted by during this World Cup was this running commentary thread among fans--European fans, to be frank and precise about it--over Colombia's fouling, like that was somehow the trait that defines them. No doubt that was because of the "Ireland incident", a game which nobody saw full footage of and where Colombia's side of it (that apparently Ireland fouled just as much) was largely drowned out by English-speaking fans.

Is Colombia a side that uses physicality to stop the opposing teams' flow? Yes. Is it fair that somehow, every time a Colombian player commits a foul, some fans would comment something like, "oh, Colombia, always fouling," like somehow that's their defining trait? Absolutely not.

England fouled a lot of the Australian players during their semi-final match. Germany kept fouling South Korean players, who couldn't match their physicality btw, as the game got away from them. And yet, I'm sure that a lot of the same fans who branded Colombia as a "fouling team" would never brand England and Germany as such.

The double standard from some fans is so clear to see, and especially grating to me, an Asian person. Asian teams are always expected to match the physicality of European teams, but when a team from South America (or Africa) does just that, it's suddenly too much.

When I saw Colombia play, my main takeaway about them was that, they're so good on the ball. I hope that's most people's takeaway too.

And for those who have this narrative in their heads that Colombia is a team that keeps fouling, I hope they apply the same standards to other teams who fouled just as much, if not more. Otherwise, well, I hope they think about why they judge different teams differently.

[pastanest]

Danny x gn&British!reader

Danny Atlas x British Reader

- this man will act like he’s above finding an accent attractive until he meets you

- and then his cards are on the table pun intended

- bc he suddenly realizes that the dry British sense of humor massively appeals to him

- the first time you call him “smarmy” he all but fumbles his deck fr

- rarely asks you to translate your British slang and pretends to know exactly what you mean but the second you’re not looking he’s googling on his phone “what is a tosspot”

- LOVES the way your face scrunches up in absolute disgust when he repeats some British slang back to you but makes no effort to sound less American when he does

- particularly when using the word “banter” bc, as you so rightly put it, “there is no need to use such a hard r at the end of that word”

- LOVES listening to you retell stories that he’s told you or tales of funny things that happened to you together, in group settings with others bc the way you retell things with your additional British commentary has him struggling to hide an adoring smirk

- surprises you with random British things sometimes just to see how you’ll react

- bought you a mixed box of British sweets once and when you found parma violets in the bottom, you flipped your lid you decide whether that’s good or bad in this context but if you actually like sweets that taste like perfume…

- LOVES to take the piss out of the way you pronounce American things “wrong” despite the fact he is very well educated on the fact the language he speaks derives from yours, he just likes winding you up

- doesn’t understand the hype around fish and chips until you take him to a proper fish and chip shop and it’s like a religious experience for him

“I should move here. We should move here, I think. And we need to be within 5 miles of this exact fish and chip store.”

“Shop.”

“Yes, sorry, shop. I need to be able to walk here. At least once a week. Maybe more. I’ll book myself as an entertainer here and perhaps they’ll give me this stuff for free.”

“Danny-“

“If I earn enough money from shows here, I could even buy this exact fish and chip shop. And rehire everyone who already works here to ensure everything tastes exactly the same. Except under my name. Atlas Fish And Chips.”

“Danny, you can’t just-“

“J. Daniel Atlas, masterful illusionist and fish and chip shop owner. That’s history. I’m going to make it history.”

[justmenoworries]

My unorganized thoughts about Hazbin finale because I am feeling all the feelings.

Positives

The songs? Absolute bangers. Both of them. The Chaggie "More Than Anything" reprise got spoiled for me but I still loved it. We stan a supportive couple ready to go to war together. The reprise for "Happy Day in Hell" at the end was a nice touch. Loved that it was Lucifer who picked up the slack to cheer up Charlie. Mans finally becoming the dad who stepped up.

The battle as a whole was awesome. Hot take, but if Adam didn't have the spawn infinite enemies cheat all bad guy armies seem to have in these situations, the Hotel definitely would've won.

I'll admit, I wasn't too jazzed about Sir Pentious replacing Mimzy in the main cast but he kind of redeemed (lol) himself for me this episode. Bro was both one of the funniest and most heartwarming characters in the finale get yourself a man who can do both. The unholy (lol) noises I made when he showed up as a redeemed soul in Heaven. Good for him! He deserves the best. Also I find Sera's and Emily's reactions to the reveal kind of interesting. Emily is overjoyed seeing that Charlie's idea works, but Sera looks... mortified? Disgusted? Kinda tells us which one of these two really deserves the title of Big Good. Side note, but it's kind of funny how the only physical change a redeemed sinner goes through is that their color scheme is now pastel instead of goth.

ADAM FUCKING DIED YESSIRRRRR! GOOD RIDDANCE BITCH NO ONE WILL MISS YOUUUU (Except for Lute, but no one gives a fuck about what Lute thinks, cry harder hoe)

Charlie's and Lucifer's true formssss! Razzle and Dazzle getting to be badassss! (R.I.P. Dazzle, hope you somehow end up in Heaven too)

Alastor Vs Adam. Cool fight, surprisingly not as one-sided as one might've thought. I mean, Alastor still lost but he lasted a lot longer than most of the others who fought against Adam (Poor Sir Pen)

Vaggie and Lute rematch, I fucking called ittttt!

Seeing everyone gear up and fight for the Hotel was cool, seeing so many Exorcists get axed off was cathartic as fuck.

Lute losing a part of her body because of Vaggie, just like she took a part of Vaggie's body was *chef's kiss*.

Lucifer Vs Adam and Lucifer just... not taking the fight seriously at all until Charlie almost gets hurt. He was really just toying with Adam for the entire first half and when he started getting serious Adam got trashed so fucking quick, I love it.

Charlie fucking shanking Adam and stopping his punch Just Like That. I lover her, she's such a badass. Sure wish we could've seen more of that (foreshadowinggg)

Vox acting as the greek chorus for the events of the episode works surprisingly well. Ngl I thought his constant commentary would get annoying really fast if they kept cutting away from the action just so he can say a funny. But no, they actually managed to time it pretty well. Props to Adam Stein (writer for this episode).

The Negatives (Yes, They Exist)

The other Vees did not need to be here. Seriously, we're starting off with Vox alone in his control room and we could've stayed there. Velvette and Valentino didn't even talk for the majority of the episode. And I'm not a fan of how Val continues to be played for comedy. Unfriendly reminder that this man is a r*pist and an abuser. If you needed a V for the funnies, Velvette and Vox are quite literally right there. (Can you believe Velvette had no lines this episode but fucking Val had both a speaking role and a not insignificant part of the ending song? Weak.) You can still have the ending scene of the Vees hanging out and planning after the aborted Extermination, literally nothing changes if you cut Val and Velvette from the cutaway gags.

Not a fan of how Lucifer stole the spotlight. "But you said you liked the Adam Vs Lucifer fight-" Yeah, I did. Doesn't change that this shouldn't have been Luci's fight, it should have been Charlie's. We've had hints this whole season that Charlie is actually way stronger and wrathful than anyone thinks and that she's actively working to keep up her cheerful and friendly persona. Her stabbing Adam with her trident was a nice start, but after Lute killed Dazzle and seriously endangered Vaggie, this should've been the moment Charlie decided "Alright that's it, no more Miss Nice Girl, I didn't want this to end in bloodshed but these assholes are going down." This should've been the moment where the gloves come off. How much more impactful would it be if Charlie was the one beating down Adam but stopping before killing him? If the show made it clear Charlie could murder this asshole, but she doesn't, because she's still better than he ever will be. What a way to show that Charlie truly does believe in the good in everyone or at least still believes in non-lethal solutions to the conflict between Heaven and Hell! But nope, Charlie gets two badass moments, then is banished to the side-lines and to the role of damsel Lucifer has to save and who has to be the metaphorical angel on Lucifer's shoulder who stops him from offing Adam (for some reason). If we needed to get Lucifer involved, maybe have him show up earlier to help the Hotel but get hurt somehow, forcing and motivating Charlie to step up as the future ruler of Hell. Speaking of-

Why the fuck was Lucifer so late to the fight??? Yeah yeah, I know, depressed shut-in, but in "More Than Anything" he literally calls Charlie "the only thing worth fighting for" in Hell. He knew the Extermination was coming. Yeah, maybe Charlie didn't tell him that the trial in Heaven went south and that Adam's Exorcists were going to target the Hazbin Hotel, but you'd think he'd have noticed something was up??? More importantly, if he really wanted to support Charlie's dream of saving the sinners in Hell, why didn't he take part in the battle from the start??? Why didn't Charlie ask him to fight alongside her??? Yeah, Charlie is reluctant to ask Lucifer for anything because they don't have the best relationship, but we've had an entire fucking episode of them growing closer and Lucifer assuring Charlie he'd help her. And this wasn't just a matter of pride, Charlie's friends and her girlfriend were in danger of getting killed, you're telling me she'd choose her own hang-up over all of them??? "But if Lucifer was there, the fight would've been over too quick-" refer to the previous point. Angels can be hurt and killed by angelic weaponry, there were like over a hundred Exorcists on that battlefield and don't tell me Adam would be above fighting dirty by attacking while Lucifer is distracted. There. Easy way to take Lucifer out of the fight and make way for Charlie.

Not a fan of how Cherri Bomb x Sir Pentious was bullrushed in this last episode. Yeah, we established Pentious likes her, but Cherri had like no interest in him until Angel commented he might have two dicks. Which, I guess her being after a purely physical relationship could work, but we all know that's not what Pentious wants. Their "romance" gives "He Was a Boy She Was a Girl" vibes. Like Velvette and Valentino, nothing in the episode would've been lost if that particular plot-line was dropped.

"The future of Hell belongs to the Vees" Yeah but does it though? Does it? Sorry, but I'm having a hard time taking these three seriously as a threat. Vox got effortlessly trounced by Alastor (and contrary to what the Vees believe he isn't missing, he came back), Velvette talked a big game about fighting the Exorcists but then did absolutely nothing and Val would eat dirt so fast against anyone who can actually fight back. Plus "Overlords hanging by a thread"? Which Overlords, exactly? Alastor? He's not dead and like previously stated, he's not 'missing'. Rosie, Carmilla, Zestial and the rest of the Overlords are just fine, the Extermination was centered around the Hazbin Hotel this time, no other turf even got scratched. "Nature abhors a power vacuum" What power vacuum? Again, no Overlords even died! No territory outside the hotel was destroyed! Are they just on a high from Alastor's supposed disappearance? I hope that's it, because otherwise damn, you three fucking suck at being Overlords.

[bengiyo]

Never Let Me Go Ep 7 Stray Thoughts

Last time, Palm and Neungdiao fled to the beach to hide after Tanya and Chanon got shot in front of the house. We met Palm's mother, and she begrudgingly took them if they agreed to work. Nuengdiao showed his multilingual prowess by checking in an international gay couple (who I demand return to the plot). Palm spent the entire episode high-key flirting with Nuengdiao, but I am almost certain their ending will be bittersweet now.

Ah, yes, let's begin with Nuengdiao trying to be a normal person, Palm being overly helpful, and bed wrestling. A whole week of Jojo shows is doing wonders for my soul.

The fact that Nuengdiao was clearly turned on, but then sucks his teeth at Palm is so funny. Phuwin and Pond are working so well together.

Episode title: GOOD FORTUNE. Trembling with excitement if people are going to be bold.

I'm so glad Palm is actually watching out for Nuengdiao, because he gets clocked as a rich kid immediately, and almost blew their cover with a credit card.

It's kinda fun when characters who like each other a lot stand really close. Modern audiences know it's because they want to be all up in each other, but if you grew up watching content in 4:3, actors had to stand this close just to be in the frame together.

THE RETURN OF DAVID AND WU. We are living!

I feel like there's some sort of commentary to be made about people using English to communicate when it's not their first language.

Of course Wu sidled up next to Nuengdiao to dish in Mandarin about proposing. I love this show.

Every time Palm does something obviously flirty Nuengdiao looks at him like, "I will fuck you."

Phum is back. I love Pawin, but this character is always starting shit. I'm sure Pawin had fun pretending to curb stomp Chimon.

And we get to see Perth kicking ass?? This episode just keeps on giving.

I hope I don't have to feel weird about this preferred hand later.

What would dramas be without rooftops with which to have earnest, open dialogue?

Ben is very self aware, which makes his self-recrimination land well.

I'm gonna say this every week of every show I watch with him, but I absolutely love Perth's voice.

I feel like Ben has to know that Chopper likes him, which makes me wonder what happened between them for neither to talk about it openly even on the rooftop.

I wonder if Phuwin chose to suck his teeth in annoyance whenever Palm makes him swoon a bit. It's a nice detail.

Oh, this proposal was sweet.

Foot baths??? Jojo every episode this show gets gayer.

Nuengdiao, you can't just start talking about marriage while this man is massaging your feet... Though I do appreciate that Nuengdiao is aware of his own temper.

This night scene in bed is really fascinating with the Eclipse having aired recently. This is another example of needing to use illusions and blinders to have a moment of intimacy.

This fishmonger said, "500 baht per hour?? They don't even pay that in America! Get the fuck out of here!"

100 baht per day? We are working for the experience.

I feel like this is the first time Nuengdiao has really acquiesced to Palm.

I do love when they let the gays have spirituality.

Not these fortunes also contributing to the melancholy.

Well, that's what we expected of how Chanon became indebted to the family.

Tanya isn't dead yet. I think I prefer the drama this way.

Kit is such a fun villain to watch. I really love the way Nat is playing him.

Chopper is visibly disgusted. Perth is also really good. Brilliant to pair him with Nat.

We get a wedding here and a wedding in 2Cutie2Pie this week.

Yes, Palm, take that drink out of his hand. I can't believe we almost had to go through the same plot twice.

I know she is an absent mother, but I do appreciate her asking about the romance in dramatic terms.

She said, "I know you kissed him!"

She also said, "Just hold on loosely, but don't let go. If you cling too tightly you're gonna lose control."

They are back in the room, and Nuengdiao is feeling randy.

Okay, continuity question. If Nuengdiao needs a phone, how do they know Tanya is in a coma?

Nuengdiao is going to be a great manipulator someday. He's preempting all of Palm's objections to get him to agree to date him, even if it's only on this island. Then this man says, "Kiss me like you mean it. Kiss me like you want me."

Ah, that was a tasteful fade. The fic writers will have much to play with.

Damn, and now Chanon got arrested. Looks like beach time is over.

[thedeliverygod]

This is probably just TikTok being TikTok and I mean feel free to unfollow if this post bothers/upsets you in any way

I haven’t commented or shared much stuff about Palestine because I am only taking in the bare minimum of info about it atm for my mental health. It is absolutely awful what’s happening but I also don’t want to respond/add to commentary when I am not fully versed on the subject

Anyway, today I see a TikTok talking about Osama Bin Laden’s letter to America and between the creator and the comments I saw/heard mentioning of getting “teary eyed” and how of course we shouldn’t have trusted things from the US lens back in the day etc I was like “wow okay I’m going to go read this because maybe he pointed out a lot of things wrong with the US that were accurate and still accurate to this day?”

So I read a good portion of it but I had to stop because I was getting mad/annoyed. Yes, he calls out then injustices that Palestine and middle eastern countries have suffered. I don’t even begin to deny that.

But the rest of the letter reads exactly like what he was: a religious extremist. He points out several times the shared features of Abrahamic religions but continues to point out Islam is the “best” because it includes all of the prophets. He consistently has a negative tone towards Jewish people the entire letter. And lastly the part that got me the most was he insulted the United States practice of separating religion and state/law.

Not to mention he said American citizens are complicit for everything our government does because we vote them into office. Honestly, the way it read was “all those people who died in 9/11 were guilty so lol bye”

So the fact that Osama Bin Laden even if only for his commentary about the injustices of countries who majority follow Islam is being framed as a good guy?

It’s so gross. He was an extremist and a violent man.

He is and was just as disgusting as the Christian extremists within the US that are constantly trying to change our laws and sink us back decades in progress that we’ve made.

Anyway that’s my like religious/political/whatever commentary for the rest of the year.

[madraleen]

Attack on Titan - Hajime Isayama Vol.22-25: A "Herein I Start To Lose My Mind" Commentary

-oh dina killed mama yeager?! er. that's. huh. how life works out

-what are you talking about, they're not the transformers, you literally INJECT THEM WITH TITAN SPINAL FLUID TO TURN THEM INTO TITANS AND THEN CALL THEM MONSTERS YOU MORON!?

-HE NAMED EREN AFTER THE OWL

-GODDAMN MANGA EXTRA SPECIAL POWERS AND THEIR GODDAMN TIME LIMITS, THIRTEEN YEARS FFS ARGH I HATE YOU

-if we time-jump to eren's weakening body when his time's up i'll kick something

-"I'm sorry. I can't hate anything anymore."

-so much juicy info, i cannot take it all in and i desperately want more

-sensei, did you specifically have levi say that eren is fifteen only because he looks seventy in the next panel?

-so wait, we're essentially at war with another nation that we didn't even know existed until a few days ago

-so fight genocide with genocide is the the marley logic

-...for real? that's a thing owl actually said, 'mikasa, armin and the others' or is eren confused?

-i'm sorry, but “i'll pick a fight with anything and everything that moves if it offends my sensibilities” eren is and will always be the best eren

-it's nice seeing eren empower armin, like armin's done so many times for eren

-who is this being eaten by dogs?

-this is the first time eren's not being transparent. i mean, he's not very good at it, but still

-okay, we're now about a year later from the first attack. i think.

-eren's hair is longer :)

-EEEEEE WE'RE SEEING THE OCEANNN

-WE'RE *IN* THE OCEAN!

-i have loved this story and the characters so much that i'm constantly worried that somewhere along the way i'll get disappointed

-HISTORY TEACHER ERWIN

-i was like, why is levi not a PE teacher or sth, but no, janitor's right, he's always cleaning up everyone's messes

-I WANT TO READ ATTACK ON SCHOOL CASTES!

-what four years? what is fort slava? where are we? is this a random concurrent war?

-I VOTE FALCO FOR OUR NEXT WARRIOR! YOUR NEXT WARRIOR. wait. whose side am i on again

-hilarious. marley persecutes the eldians for being the titan bloodline, while at the same time saying "the power of the titans is absolute" as it keeps them in their military. hilarious. (i am not laughing.)

-reiner with the facial hair, alright alright i see you

-this is disgusting. these are literal human-titan bombs. how dare you, marley

-it's weird to see that even zeke succumbs to the marleyans as an eldian

-paradis be like I'M THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE I EAT YOUR SHIPS FOR BREAKFAST

-"a force of flying freaks"?!?! WATCH YOUR MOUTH, ROYAL BOY!

-OH! galliard has ymir's titan? rip ymir.

-gabi is so entertaining

-eyyy, the reiner fam!

-oh we're touching on soldiers' ptsd, i see i see

-mannn... this "we're the good eldians, it's the island eldians that are the devils" rhetoric...

-reiner has aged fifty years in this family dinner

-i'm loving the marleyan chapters. a welcome respite, a welcome change of pov

-DON'T CALL OUT SASHA LIKE THAT REINER YOU JERK

-come now, that's jean slander

-marley has gone to war with everyone at some point, goddamn

-man, with all this info i wish i could go back and reread everything with reiner's pov in mind and catch all the little nuances. i mean, i CAN go back and read it, but you get what i'm saying.

-did eren actually look that bloodthirsty or is it reiner's pov, i can't remember anymore

-EEEEEEE REINER IS KILLING HIMSELF WHAT. wait. what about the armor titan?! he didn't do it, okay, but what was the plan here?!

-HOLD UP HOLD UP IS THAT EREN?! ARE THEY INFILTRATING MARLEY?! DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THAT

-is this grandpa yeager is eren meeting the fam

-hahaha reiner paying for the kids at the festival

-okay but that facial hair on eren? not working for him, no offense baby. on reiner? great, fantastic, good choice. on eren? bring the shaving cream

-WHAT WILL TYBUR ANNOUNCE JUST SAY IT, GODDAMN!

-yes, right, it's eren yeager that single-handedly opposes fritz's peaceful world, FUCK YOU

-OH OKAY EREN IS STILL ON FIGHTING MODE THANK GOD I WAS WORRYING HE'D MAKE HIMSELF A SACRIFICIAL LAMB

-no wait i'm scared i'm not convinced, how is this helping paradis, this is making things worse

-if eren turns himself into a sacrificial lamb for any reason, like sacrifice himself in a 'kill your bad guy to have peace' way, i'm actually gonna be angry. FIGHT! that's what we've always said. FIGHT!

-(i can't wait to see the paradis' people pov, this has been all so distancing)

-i think it's knowing that "the end was divisive" that's destroyed me. when i started the manga, it was a fact, something to go 'haha' about. now that i'm invested, i'm like BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT IF I DON'T LIKE THE ENDING? WHAT IF IT SULLIES EVERYTHING THAT CAME BEFORE?

-i am in peak obsession, that's it, i've peaked.

-bon appetit eren. enjoy that tybur i guess

-in this endless cycle of violence gabi can be marley's eren, you know. she WILL destroy you if you get her mad

-ah udo getting crushed by the mob... that's the worst

-do we want this, do we want to fight war hammer, i don't understand the plan 

-EEE PARADIS WHOOSH WHOOSHING

-eren please go home. i don't know what this is about yet, but mikasa is right

-ah yes, hi jean. i see the true mark of boys growing up is long hair and facial hair

-OH this wasn't a plan-plan, it was eren! PLEASE GIMME POV PLEASE, eren, bb, what are you doing. eren bb mikasa's still saving your ass, eren talk to us

-and hello sasha, i see the true mark for girls growing up is cutting their hair shorter

-CONNIE SHORT HAIR AND NO FACIAL HAIR HE'S THE MVP HE'S THE HERO WE NEED

-LMFAO GALLIARD BOOKED IT at the thought of levi

-C'EST LEVI MY HEART MY LOVE MY ANGEL MY PRIDE AND JOY MY TREASURE MY-

-what are we doing here guys why are we here :'( EREN WHAT DID YOU DO

-i don't know, eren, at this point... chomp man chomp! *FACEPALM*

-levi my love you are so beautiful.

-everyone: uniforms. levi: A CAPE

-please, please spare me from this hell i just want to read attack on school castes please

[angels-are-sinning]

"his father killed a hooker in front of him, very traumatic)"

okay i know im reading too much into the comics but as someone who's obsessively read That one volume where it's his past....and is borderline insane about it, take this with a big gulp of salt, because i'm . again insane. okay? okay. i apologise in advance if this is long ahahm,

but ! 🤓☝️☝️nerd moment incoming..

it's not specified if they are a prostitute/hooker/sex worker! it is, however, implied that they are a drug-addict. it Can be read as straight up murder, or causes her death through negligence (lisbet's words in the ghost comic timeline post.) however it's pretty unlikely that it's murder, it's definitely leaning more into "overdose". im not going to pull up the panels because i will Sound more insane than i already do. it's not shown whether or not simon sees the death happen. but the corpse. uhm. it's also Not shown clearly if mr riley is having sex with her...(?)

he looks surprised that simon comes, but im pretty sure (🤓☝️☝️ moment forgive me forgive me please) he had sex with her Before simon. entered. and finished. another theory is probably necrophilia. but you know, she was seen alive in the previous panels before the death smile panel. (i am insane i am sorry again.)

ghosts seen how his dad treated his mom and absolutely hates abusers.

again this is a super Nerd commentary from me (ghost comic hater) but i think this is falls generally under more as a headcanon, because we don't see any abuse of mrs riley that happens in the comics. in fact (🤓☝️☝️) ., she actually is . kind of depicted on "good terms" with mr riley. ahah. (the "tommy stole the discs she was gifted by him to sell" and insisting simon see his father in the hospital)

also mr riley is Never shown to be. abusive to his wife. at least in the comics :"D you're of course free to read it as how you want but i just want to point that out.. it's never explicitly shown in any comic panel.

when simon tells him to never go back to the house, he shouts about his wife, and that he's not leaving her. so yeah. it's never shown in the comics. like ever. if there is however something that i missed... please do tell me. but in all my frantic readings of that comic there was no evidence of him being abusive to her. to simon? yes. to tommy? no, it wasn't shown, or depicted, or even generally implied. i know that since it's not depicted, we can fill in the lines, i understand..i just want to point that out. :"D (besides, expecting good storytelling from that comic is...yeah.)

im nitpicking at this point but. but it's in good faith op i respect your headcanons ! it's just that i'd like to add my own thoughts since i think it's interesting that someone made a post like this especially touching on the comic lore :"D especially as most people venture towards the reboot (who does not have 09 ghost comic backstory confirmed or denied.) ghost. but he can be whoever you want to be!

however, i just want to say one thing with a bit more Seriousness

in the comic, sparks (soldier he worked with) knocked out and attempted to rape a woman, ghosts literally looked disgusted and called the police (also why he’d never do that himself, i dont get the hcs that say he does).

so... uh . on a more serious tone,

they attempt that together. but simon's more worried about being caught than the woman being assaulted. he was the one fiddling for the keys too..,

i think it would be good to keep that in mind i think that this is a comic which has many outdated themes and very bad representations of people especially drug addicts and sex workers in general 😭 (and the blatant one man army revenge burn down house thing is. very 2000s.)

again these are just my own thoughts :"D no shame to any headcanons or readings that contradict them! :D also, i love the tommy part....he Is a committed man....... his relationship with his brother really isn't expounded on more, i'm happy to see tommy mentioned here!

ghost character analysis

tw: spoilers from ghost mw2 comics, nsfw, dead dove do not eat, mature content.

this is pretty much a part 2 to ghost headcanons except with more lore and analysis (im still not sure if reboot ghost has the same backstory as the og ghost).

ghost is not a cold, calculated, ruthless man. maybe in a separate au or something, but theres a huge difference between ghost and simon riley. in fact, we need to understand that the reason he even chose ghost as a new name for himself is because of all that's happened to him. his family got killed, he got tortured by roba, and had to eliminate many men on his own. before that he was simon, not ghost. in the comic he literally calls the child hostages he was saving ‘sweetheart’ and ‘love’. hes not that mean and cold yall

we know that PTSD does shit to it's victims, ghost lost his entire family and had no one. think of it as a coping mechanism to have a new name to be known as.

ghost is a ruthless killer. simon is just some guy.

ghost sets himself to an incredibly high standard of discipline. i think it's intuitive that military boys will need to be punctual and organized to some degree, but ghost takes this to a whole other level. considering his father's abusive behavior (explained by his disturbing statements said to simon, is a drug addict, and beats simons mom) his home life was likely chaotic as a child.

in the mw2: ghost comic (issue #3) it specifically stated the following: "discipline, precision, control. these are what riley built his whole life on. break those down and the dark stuff begins to ooze out..." again, this is probably a form of trauma response to his childhood.

so what does this lead to? well firstly, this probably means his room is incredibly tidy and organized (monotone design i know :,c).

would never in his life touch drugs. this is a promise he made to himself.

also kinda proves that ghost aint a reckless guy. he thinks things through before doing it.

ghost isn’t that hypersexual. theres no way of knowing his history with women, but i like to think ghost is not that horny 24/7 and needs a fuckbuddy. in the mw2 comic, he was on a mission and was in an area full of prostitutes (wasn’t actively on duty, but on his way) when they tried to hit on him he politely rejects one of them, and later tells them to fuck off😀 so yea contrary to popular belief i dont think he really enjoys one night stands or the idea of being entertained by random women. in fact, i hc he might actually be a virgin or just a really low body count.

ghost is a feminist!😁 (misandrist too). ok let me reword that, ghost doesnt like men and respects women. one of the reasons why he doesn’t want to be around prostitutes and do one night stands (his father killed a hooker in front of him, very traumatic) is because he thinks the concept of quick, casual sex is not good for society and dilutes the value of meaningful relationships. but also, remember the discipline, precision, control thing? its apart of his principle. but also, in the comic, sparks (soldier he worked with) knocked out and attempted to rape a woman, ghosts literally looked disgusted and called the police (also why he’d never do that himself, i dont get the hcs that say he does). ghosts seen how his dad treated his mom and absolutely hates abusers. anyways onto misandry—i think ghost internally thinks men are violent and disgusting (ghosts would choose the bear over the man, even though hes a man) mainly because throughout his military career majority of the bad stuff hes seen was done by men, so hes much more relaxed in a room of women vs man. ghost thinks his dad is the epitome of pure evil (canon! he said this to his therapist). this doesn’t mean hes scared or hates all men tho!

ghost isn’t close with 141… including soap. now before you attack me let me explain. sure, he trusts them to some degree, but i dont think they naturally just hangout when they’re not deployed. in the end we need to understand they are SAS soldiers, they are working a real job that mainly consists of them shooting and dismantling others. considering ghosts betrayal in the past (in the comic, a few soldiers ghost previously worked with killed his entire family 😢) he isn’t gonna just trust his teammates because theyre his teammates. im also pretty sure they all live in different cities while not deployed, while also considering the fact that tf141 probably all want to separate their job from their personal lives, which includes co workers. but onto soap, i dont think him and ghost have a deep brotherly relationship. but i think they care about each other, but exchanging some dad jokes and bantering doesn’t mean they’re suddenly soulmates or brothers. think about it… you and you’re co worker joke around sometimes, never hangout outside of work, and now people are shipping you and calling the two of you besties. makes no sense.

ghost is extremely patriotic. in the comic (i reference this way too much but theres SOOO MUCH LORE i recommend reading it) ghost tells his teammates the reason for joining the military: queen and country, right after 9/11. he also said “the world has changed”. interestingly enough army enlistment did actually skyrocketed after 9/11 attacks, ghost was among them. he probably thought ww3 was about to happen, or that ‘theres no more peace’ or whatever. i hc being obsessed with soccer too lmao and getting mad if english teams dont win. also his playful banter with johnny “get us a tea?”. probably very proud of his british heritage.

ghost doesn’t have much friends. hes a really, reallyyyyy lonely guy. i hc him as an introvert in the first place, but trust issues make this worse. in the comic, he was literally in the newspaper for killing his family and then killing himself (he didnt, he was framed that way tho) so its likely most of his formers friends probably think hes dead. ghost likely got some sort of amnesty or exemption from the military after knowing he didn’t actually kill his family, but whats in the news stays true to the public. even if he does have friends he probably doesn’t share feelings with them or form a long term bond.

ghost is extremely cynical. this is obvious tbh, but i think ghost believes hes going to die in the middle of a battlefield, shot or stabbed, a painful death, body left to rot for weeks, and no one to remember him. just like that. and he accepts that fact too.

ghost isn’t a picky eater. growing up in an abusive household where his parents couldn’t hold a stable job, he had to eat what there was. some days he settles for cheap beans and toast and when people call him out for it, he tells em to fuck off😀

ghost is emotionally fucked up, probably kind of depressed. i mean this guys been through hell: got sa’d, buried alive, had to dig through underground dirt and worms with a jawbone, tortured in horrible ways, had his entire family killed, abusive dad, and the weight of his grey morales because he killed lots of people as a soldier. wow! would you look at that list, itd be more strange if he wasn’t emotionally fucked up after was has happened😅. even when tortured, seeing his family dead, ghost was never shown to have cried in the comic. i hc hes emotionally numb. however, i do think hes emotionally MATURE and able to communicate his emotions, but hes still emotionally fucked. for example a scene where he was talking about his experience with roba (guy who tortured ghost) and ghosts father to a therapist. i think ghosts may be traumatized, but this doesn’t stop him from attempting to get help and communicating how he feels and thinks about this world.

BUT WHAT ABOUT AN S/O???

i think ghost is the guy to not have one in the first place. obviously. but i lowkey think if he had one and really liked them, he would commit. in fact i find it hard to imagine hes a player or isn’t serious about relationships. when his brother tommy got addicted to drugs and fucked up his life, simon quit the military until tommy got 100% better and married. yup. he stayed to help him recover, for years. thats how loving and committed this man is🥹🥹.

more random headcanons:

simon prefers dogs over cats because dogs are loyal and stay with you until the end (stereotypically)

hates snakes and spiders

probably wouldn’t do 50/50 on dates, he pays!

avoids saying manchester slang when deployed

drinks and smokes. not always. he’s disciplined but he still does that stuff.. hes a british guy in his 30s whos kinda depressed, grew up with adults around him smoking 24/7, whatd you think😀😀 (its canon that most of tf141 smoke anyway)

listens to 80’s rock music. its canon that his mom enjoys the band siouxsie and the banshees :)), he probs does too

shaves his beard

is actually confident hes not bad looking. dude, hes 6’2, in shape with a jawline🙄

[ask-the-crimson-king]

Music Shill of the Day: The Grand Inferno by Tungsten

NEEEEEEEEW TUNGSTEN! AT LONG LAST!

After a minor kerfuffling with release dates we have the album at last!

We already had half of it in terms of single releases but now we have ALL of it. Huzzah.

I'm going to go over it since I also reviewed Bliss back when that dropped and I'll let anyone who cares know that YES this album is better than Bliss. The only good song off Bliss was Wonderland. The Grand Inferno has MORE than one banger, I promise.

My opinions of each song will be below the cut, supplemented with a brief commentary by Tungsten on each track, taken from this article. My top 5 of the album are Anger, The Grand Inferno, Walborg, Vantablack, and Chaos.

RATING SYSTEM:

1 - Trash garbage. Detestable. Disgusting. Quit music tier. 5 - This is music. This is average. This is okay/just good. Fine. 10 - Fantastic. Peak of music. More of this. Excellent.

Also, tier list of the album:

NOW. ONWARDS.

Hello to anyone still reading! You get a cookie for the stay. Going in album order, will include links if I can to each song as I go.

1. Anger - 9.5/10

Starting off with a very strong entry indeed. Commentary from the band:

“Anger” is the opening track of the album, setting the tone with its heavy sound and groovy industrial metal elements. The song also features an insanely catchy and melodic chorus, adding a surprising contrast to its intensity. It includes a powerful guitar solo by Nick, making it a strong start to the album. Lyrically, the song delves into the feeling of anger taking over completely. It captures the intense urge to scream out in rage and escape the hellish landscape of wrath and fury that consumes the mind.

As someone who does struggle with anger, man this is a good way of putting it into song form. It's so fucking good, it's heavy as fuck, and we have screaming vocals, a rarity from these lads. This song absolutely fucking slaps. I love the heavy instrumentals as a backdrop to the wonderfully melodic chorus, I love the lyrics, I love it all. HELL yes. Incredible. Worth the +3 week wait.

The fury remains, the sky is on flames I cannot control all the demons in me Soon you will see that I'm not who I used to be The hatred is boiling inside of me!

Into the light, I will not go Beyond the stars, the anger is lurking the anger is my maker

Into the light (I see the stars collide) I will not go (I feel the urge to die) Beyond the stars (I need to touch the sky) The anger is lurking, the anger is my maker

2. Blood of the Kings - 7/10

Commentary from the band:

This song leans more towards a power metal style while still blending in our signature Tungsten sound. The intro riff was born spontaneously when Karl and Anders jammed together during a rehearsal, with Anders playing a drum part and Karl joining in. Interestingly, the chorus came to Karl in a dream, which he quickly recorded on his cellphone as soon as he woke up. The lyrics reflect their heritage and pay tribute to their Viking ancestry. Anders was researching genealogy and discovered that they have Viking blood in their veins, so we created this song as an homage to our ancient ancestors.

Definitely has the feel of being a bit more bro-metal, and this song's genesis is also very. Interesting.

The chorus literally came to them in a dream. That's hilarious.

The song itself was one of the first singles, the next following Walborg. When we get to Walborg we'll get into why I thought it was a tough act to follow. It's a very solid song, it reminds me a bit of Time from Tundra. Honestly this song feels like an homage to the Tundra era, and I do enjoy Tundra. Solid, decent.

3. Lullaby - 4/10

Commentary from the band:

This song embodies the traditional Tungsten sound, featuring heavy industrial metal riffs and catchy, folk-influenced melodies. The addition of female vocals singing the chorus adds an eerie element, enhancing the song’s creepy atmosphere, which fits perfectly with its horror-themed narrative. The lyrics tell a made-up horror story about a mother who sacrifices her own child to a group of unknown beings to remain forever young. The twist in the story is that the child rises from the grave to take revenge on the mother, all while hauntingly singing the lullaby she once sang to it.

I do not really enjoy Lullaby.

It feels really strange. Maybe it's the lyrics, maybe it's the melody, maybe it's the fact that Dominum did it better with The Dead Don't Die [and also had Hodi of Feuerschwanz with them]. But it's the weakest song on the album for sure.

This was the third single. When I heard it I was a bit worried that the album was not going to be great. I am happy to report that this is not what happened and this is the outlier. Huzzah. I have nothing else to say, we're moving on to the title track.

4. The Grand Inferno - 9.5/10

Commentary from the band:

The title track, “The Grand Inferno,” is a dynamic song that bursts into an epic and dramatic chorus. Choosing this song as the title track was a unanimous decision. While it’s slightly different from our usual compositions, it still has the unmistakable Tungsten sound. The lyrics and music are perfectly intertwined, creating a cohesive and powerful experience.

What an excellent choice for a title track. Genuinely.

I'll admit, this one had to grow on me a bit. I was in love with it by the end of the first listen, but initally that intro felt slow and agonizing, but now it all lends itself to a FANTASTIC listening experience. It's HUGE, it's operatic, it's emotional, it's absolutely incredible. I love this song to bits and pieces.

It is an excellent departure from the usual Tungsten sound and it stands out SO WELL against the heavier, more "industrial" sound of the rest of the album. It just works. It's so good. GO LISTEN. I promise. It's legitimately that good.

The grand inferno Show me who I am In my shadow I can still pretend The grand inferno Show me who I am In my shadow I can still pretend, I'm gone

Fantastic. Wonderful. Spiritual successor of Wonderland my beloved. One of my favorite Tungsten songs.

5. Falling Apart - 5/10

Commentary from the band:

“Falling Apart” is likely our heaviest song, both musically and lyrically. It captures the feeling of being at your lowest point, where no light can reach you, and you have no desire to be saved because you believe nothing will help. The song essentially reflects the brink of a mental breakdown. Musically, the song has a heavy, progressive sound that blends our signature folk and industrial elements. It features what is probably our most intense main riff yet along with a very catchy chorus that you’ll find yourself singing along to.

Smashes you in the face after the beauty that is the Grand Inferno, we have Falling Apart. Definitely heavy as fuck, though part of me wants to argue Anger, Chaos, or Vantablack for being heavier honestly.

The song is fine. It's not excellent, but it's not terrible. It's very listenable. I don't know if I'd recommend it too highly as a must-listen for humans. It's fine. Nothing to write home about.

6. Walborg - 8/10

Commentary from the band:

“Walborg” is a midtempo song that stays true to the sound we established on our debut album, We Will Rise. The lyrics are inspired by a Swedish holiday called Valborg, which has been celebrated since the Middle Ages. The tradition involves lighting a large bonfire to burn away the winter and welcome the arrival of spring. A similar holiday is celebrated in other countries, such as England, Germany, and Finland, where it’s known as Walpurgis Night.

I AM A BITCH FOR CHUNKY ASS STRINGS. WOO.

DEFINITELY has the feel of their first album and I am in LOVE with it. This was their first single and honestly I was kinda surprised to see that it was a single for an album and not a stand-alone. This song is very good. It's not quite on the tier of Anger and The Grand Inferno but it's definitely a certifiable banger.

My biggest complaint is that it's too short. Not even 3 full minutes. F.

7. Vantablack - 8.5/10

Commentary from the band:

“Vantablack” is actually one of our oldest songs, written even before we released our first album, We Will Rise. It’s a heavy industrial metal track that embodies the core sound we established with our debut album. The lyrics explore the endless dream of a peaceful world without wars, reflecting on the dark times we face and the struggle to remain optimistic.

If you had asked me my opinion on this song when it released I would've put it in with Lullaby, honestly. The only part I enjoyed was the chorus.

What changed?

For some really strange reason, I started associating this song with Imurah from Space Marine 2. I'm not joking. I don't know why or how it happened, but I was listening through my saved songs, and Vantablack came up while I was deep in the brainrot, and it's stuck. I now enjoy this song bigly, even though now I have largely divorced it from being Imurah brainrot: the song.

It's definitely a strange and kinda whiplash-inducing track for sure. Give it a try, it might take a few listens to get around to it, but I do recommend it.

8. Me, Myself, My Enemy - 5/10

Commentary from the band:

“Me, Myself, My Enemy” is another song that captures the traditional Tungsten style. It stands out as one of the more melancholic tracks on the album, characterized by its dark and gloomy atmosphere. The song features heavy riffs with plenty of industrial metal elements, along with melodic passages and haunting choruses. The lyrics explore the pervasive negativity in the world today, highlighting how it’s becoming all-too-common to see people without a smile. As the lyrics say, “negativity, the new normality.

As one could expect, kinda doomy and gloomy song off the album. There is a definite theme here.

And the song is fine. It's perfectly listenable. It's a song that exists, definitely could see it on Tundra or We Will Rise. Very classically Tungsten.

9. Chaos - 7/10

Commentary from the band:

“Chaos” is another song with a strong industrial feel. It’s a really heavy track featuring haunting vocals that depict the chaos of the world as portrayed by the media. The chorus, however, brings a sense of positivity and hope, creating a powerful contrast. This lower-tempo banger features a chanting chorus that’s sure to resonate with listeners.

I think this is heavier than Lullaby. And also is simply a better song.

The vibe to it is immaculate. This song is good. It's very good. I love the contrasting chorus to the heavier verses, it's super catchy and super melodic. I agree with calling this a "low-tempo banger", it's definitely a banger of a song. Very nice, very good.

10. Sound of a Violin - 6/10

Commentary from the band:

“Sound of a Violin” is likely the most folk-influenced track on the album. It’s a dark and heavy song with a straightforward approach featuring a blend of catchy folk melodies and industrial elements alongside traditional folk instruments. The chorus is one of the most memorable on the album with its infectious melody. The lyrics tell the story of a Scandinavian folklore creature known as “Näcken,” which translates to “the naked one.” This being haunts the rivers and lakes of Scandinavia, luring its victims by playing a violin before drowning them in the dark, cold waters.

Before I found the band commentary, I had a feeling this song was about the Näcken. And I was correct! Point for me!

It's a very nice song. It's catchy enough, it's serviceable. It's nice. I was expecting an actual violin to make a solid appearance in the song but it's still very nice, even without one. I don't have much else to say. It's a good song, go listen to it. The thing saving this from the tier below is that chorus.

Alright. Last but not least.

11. Angel Eyes - 6.5/10

Due to Tumblr Limits, this one must be hyperlinked. F.

Commentary from the band:

“Angel Eyes” is a song where we take a small step outside our musical comfort zone. While we always strive to push our musical boundaries, we still keep one foot firmly in the Nordic folk metal style that we established with our debut album. “Angel Eyes” blends elements of synthwave hints with heavy guitars, a stomping drumbeat, and melodic vocals. It tells a unique love story between a human and a vampire woman. Despite these influences, the song still retains the distinctive Tungsten sound, with a catchy chorus that will stick with our listeners.

Synthwave Tungsten was not on my bingo board. Nor was "romance song about a human and vampire". Life is full of surprises I suppose.

This actually is a pretty nice song. I like that they're pushing their boundaries here, though I'd also argue songs like Anger or even Vantablack - despite it being a proto-Tungsten song - are also pushing boundaries of the usual Tungsten sound.

I would not mind if they went more in this direction. It's pretty groovy and low-key, contrasting similarly to The Grand Inferno on the backdrop of the heavy and aggressive nature of the rest of the album.

AND THAT IS THE ALBUM!

So. Final Thoughts.

Anger and the Grand Inferno themselves are among my favorite Tungsten songs now. This album definitely is a leg up from Bliss and in VERY good ways. I like the pushing of boundaries, I like the more experimental stuff blending with the more established Tungsten sound. I definitely think this is an album to check out for those who have not heard of these guys before.

Very good showing for a fourth album. I enjoy it very much. Go give it a listen if you haven't already, and thank you for reading.

[semper-legens]

34. How To Gut A Fish, by Sheila Armstrong

Owned: No, library Page count: 207 My summary: A girl is bound and sold at a market. A fisherman takes a stag group to a small island. A man is plagued through his life by the monkey his mother abandoned. My rating: 2.5/5 My commentary:

Hey there! Sorry for the sporadic updates - I've been having what I'm going to call a little bit of a brain problem, and I've had to leave some things by the wayside while I sort myself out. Similarly, I know I said that next time would be a different book, but that one is proving a bit too much for the ol' brain right now, so I read this one in between. Short stories are easier on the noggin, right? Well, yes and no. While I did find this book way easier to read, I didn't really get a lot out of it. The book promised weird short stories, which it did deliver, but I wasn't really engaged with a lot of them.

The problem with these stories, as a whole, is that I didn't really see a reason to care about what was going on in a lot of them. None of them really had much of a point to them, they were just describing something weird happening or a situation a character was in, but they didn't go anywhere or do anything. Maybe it's me, maybe I'm missing something or not looking deep enough, but to me this just seemed to be what I really don't like about litfic - a lot of pretentious rambling that isn't engaging. I hesitate, even, to call most of these stories, because there wasn't a story there! It was just 'here's a guy who hates his wife rambling and being disgusting' or 'here's some people disappearing and a little about their lives'. That, plus it had another litfic pet peeve of mine - no, describing your characters pissing isn't edgy or interesting or anything. It's just kind of gross and not needed. I struggle to even distinguish the different stories from each other here. A lot of them just kind of rambled their way into nothingness. I don't care about this couple who have split up for never-explored reasons and one's at home while the other goes on holiday in Iceland. You haven't given me a reason to. Even the day after I finished the book, I'm finding it hard to remember many details! The prose was so florid as to be purple and it was just waffling. (Kinda like I'm doing here. Oops.)

That's not to say that there was no effective writing in this collection. The title story was actually pretty good; a set of instructions on, well, how to gut a fish, mixed up with the ongoing story of the fisherman and his apparently kind of shady dealings. The story where a woman was auctioned at a market was interesting in how it blended together a pretty mundane scene with something that most readers would find absolutely horrifying just on principle. And the prose was at times very evocative and descriptive! It's just that all of these parts didn't add up to a greater whole that kept my engagement at all. I wasn't impressed, and I'm probably gonna forget about this book the second I schedule this post.

Next up, trans history and trans husbands!

[northwest-cryptid]

(sending it as an ask because I'm not sure if it was okay to reply to the post about kink directly since it was tagged personal, so you can choose to ignore it)

There's a lot of… equating discomfort with danger when it comes to this taboo. "It makes me upset, therefore it's bad" I'm not a kinky person, and there's a wide number of kinks that make me uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, those engaging in them are responsible for their own safety and don't hurt anyone else. I can just choose not to get in their business and go about my day. And it's also true that not being informed about kink and how to navigate them can lead to accidents (or, in some cases, bad actors taking advantage of more naive individuals). It's in this weird state where, after coming to terms with having a kink and living with it, you have to find people and a space where you can learn about safety, but it's not socially acceptable so that search is on your own. From what i've seen, there's a ton of emphasis on safety and consent, and the weird toxic dynamics have been from people who want the spice of kink but "ew not like them" so they never learn to do it safely. They never engage with a community. Though, well, I assume with the internet it should be easier to find that information...? hard to say.

Anyways yeah society is weird about physiological stuff sometimes, specially about sex.

You are absolutely fine to comment on my stuff, friendo!

And yea I absolutely agree with this! I think a big thing with all this as well is honestly just a matter of also like, "there's a time and place for everything but it doesn't have to be all the time and anywhere" it's something I often tell people when kink topics do come up. As far as I see it, discussion of such things being a huge social taboo does lead to a general lack of sexual knowledge and that can lead to potential harm. However, I also feel like the comfort of everyone (not just those who we may deem victims but yes, literally everyone) needs to be taken into account. As you said you're generally uncomfortable with such topics I wouldn't wish to openly or publicly speak on such matters in a group where someone such as yourself may be made genuinely uncomfortable with such discussion. Especially considering that we don't know the reasons for such feelings and could easily end up accidentally triggering a trauma response. I remember an old friend specifically going off about his enjoyment of rather extreme bdsm and as an abuse survivor who was literally stabbed for "misbehaving" you can likely understand that discussion of knives and bloodplay are REALLY not the sort of things I feel comfortable discussing. Unfortunately given the general acceptance of "hoho it is so hot if a girl could kick my ass" as a sort of kink, those sorts of things are often discussed openly around me and any potential protest from me is often ignored outright.

I was once told there was a fine line between understanding someone's boundaries and respecting them, and just being shut down for discussion of "taboo topics" which to be honest I disagree with, I think that line is pretty fucking thick, like thicc with two Cs and a Q. Because someone actually feeling uncomfortable due to personal history, emotional connections with things, or trauma and some pearl clutching Karen are two EXTREMELY different things and I do personally believe that if we are to move forward and accept sex topics as something not entirely disgusting and taboo we need to understand and respect the boundaries that others may set for themselves that come with that.

I do really appreciate the additional commentary on this, it's always nice to hear other's perspectives on this topic since I otherwise cannot learn where I may be wrong. Plus you're cool so like, you know it's always nice to hear from you

[a-mellowtea]

Let’s talk about character design.

Specifically, let’s discuss how an incongruous element of design, with the intention of it being incongruous, can lead to a problematic display of narrative decision-making.

As an anecdote, I’m a theatre undergrad with a focus on production, and costuming fascinates me. And, just as every element of costume design -- from fabric, to color, to era -- is a choice, character design is a choice, and one more often than not informed by the text in question. It falls on quite a few people to ensure these aspects work in tandem, and it is difficult and good work. However, if the text is -- for lack of a less melodramatic term -- spoilt at its core, then the design likely will be as well. In that vein, I find myself put off by both aspects of this particular choice -- the actual design itself, and the intention behind it.

If you hadn’t already guessed by who’s making this post and my as-recently typical subject matter, we’re going to be focusing on James Ironwood’s Volume 8 prosthetic.

I ought to preface this by mentioning that the conclusions I come to here are my own opinion, and those of an able-bodied woman. I cannot speak for the dehumanizing experiences disabled people (or persons with disabilities, if preferred) endure. I am mostly examining the design itself, but the intention and implication behind that are not things that can go unstated.

So, let’s begin with the design and that aforementioned incongruity; both with the character and the established look of technology in the show’s world. On its own, in a vacuum, it is a good one; I called it creative and unique when it was first, albeit accidentally, released to the public, and I stand by that. I’d expect no less from Alexander Juarez by now. However, that uniqueness is a double-edged sword in this instance, as this design is very distinct. To this point, replacement prosthetics in RWBY were uniformly shades of greys and blues (until and unless painted, see: Yang), noticeably complete and, even when purposefully visible, fit the designs of the characters themselves. Examples of this are Yang, Mercury, Maria, and even James’ own pre-Volume 8 prosthetics.

Oh. Yes, a moment on that. It’s worth mentioning that James does already have prosthetics, replacing or supporting the entire right side of his body, for which it is noted that the arm is a modified AK200 model.

The Volume 8 addition, meanwhile, is remarkably incomplete, with exposed wiring that can be cleanly seen through. Its core colors are also black and grey, which clashes directly with the blues and whites of the rest of the character design, as the only other instance of those colors on him is his hair. It’s heavy and eye-catching, throwing off the balance of the design.

Moreover? It's visible, and this is where incongruity of character comes in. James' prosthetics have always been hidden, bar extenuating circumstances (see, Battle of Beacon), and that is implied through both design and narrative to be a character choice based on how he himself views those prosthetics. The one he is given in Volume 8, however, is fully displayed, yet there is nothing to indicate that this particular character aversion has changed.

What did change, then? With a pre-established source of reference for James’ prosthetics being the AK200, why was this design choice made? His new arm is meant to be noticed. It's meant to contrast with the rest of the design, be visible, and visibly incomplete. Why?

Remember: character design is a choice that is typically informed by the text.

I don't like making big claims about CRWBY's intentions with things, because I’m not involved in the industry or production, and it’s generally rude to assume beyond that. With this, though, I don't have to, because they said it themselves.

Kerry Shawcross: "And then of course Ironwood now losing another part of his humanity. [pause] Get it?" Paula Decanini: [chuckles]

If you wish to check the context, this is taken from the Volume 7 DVD director’s commentary on Chapter 11, “Gravity”, and is a comment on the moment James loses his arm. It would be uncomfortable enough on its own, but discomfort isn’t very well the point of noting this as much as it is the answer to that question.

The design choices of the prosthetic were made as a visible reminder of a loss of humanity and his new status as a villain in that light. It is, certainly no pun intended, a narrative shorthand, meant to carry implication and impossible to ignore when he is on screen.

Perhaps a little more distressing is the fact that it worked. Still visible in a thread on the r/RWBY subReddit and several threads on Twitter, when it was revealed, people immediately associated the prosthetic and extension of James’ disability to a loss of humanity, despite the character actively having prosthetics for the entirety of his tenure in the show and it only previously being raised in regards to his Tin Woodsman allusion.

You may ask, so what? Why is this problematic? James is a villain in Volume 8, what should it matter that his design echoes that?

All I have to say is that that’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that we aren’t at a point yet where this kind of shorthand isn’t something immediately frowned upon in media, and especially in how characters are designed. James could have been a villain without the creative team pointedly using his disability as a neon “Now A Bad Guy” sign. They could have designed it in a way that fell in line with the character and the aesthetic designs of the world, and still had the loss be acknowledged as a stressful circumstance that informed how he was behaving in a way that wasn’t a silent visual.

Disability being used as such a signifier for some sort of absence of humanity is not a good thing in media in general, whether RWBY or otherwise. I’m still hopeful we’ll get to a point where that isn’t the case -- RWBY itself did quite well with Yang, all things considered -- but its as-yet unquestioned acceptance when characters are anti-heroic/villainous or, god forbid, “deserve” it, both in the design process of media and the minds of audiences, is disheartening, to put it mildly.

[99liners]

Heyy Jaime

In one of your previous ask an anon had asked you that how would kth react to tanaz swooning over someone else like k drama actor or an idol and you had said that he would probably try to change his style to match them so I wanted to ask how will the other tatemae men react to their wife's doing the same

henlo bb

i like this question ehehehe!

kaiho!jjk: 

he would be indifferent for the most part but maybe sneer at the actor every time he shows up on the screen. and he hates to admit it, but he might try to pick up on some of the mannerisms of the character that you are haplessly love in with instead of being in love with him which you should be! and we all know if we are talking k-drama characters then the character must be 1000x times gentler compared to jjk so you would be easily able to pick on these changes and the moment you catch him in the act, he would grow so red and proclaim, “no one can ever know” and walk out. lmao.

nodus tollens!pjm:

he would whineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, whine and wallow all day every day till the day the k-drama would air on television. he would keep claiming that he absolutely hates the character and thinks he is stupid but would also tune in with you to watch the k-drama and do a whole ass commentary with you about the plot xD also kinda sorta finds the actress v cute. he is a simp okay? don’t come at me. every time you catch him making heart eyes at her, he goes “unlike you, a mere mortal who gets swayed easily, i am an angel who only has his eyes on you.”

adronitis!knj:

he thinks it’s childish, not in a bad way but more like “you are cute when you simp for k-drama characters”. once you asked if he ever feels threatened and he chuckled, pulled you on his lap and said, “they are mere boys, i am the man you want and have in your life” (yes, i am being self-indulgent, stfu)

psychomachy!jhs:

same as his bestie knj, jhs also thinks it’s childish in a cute way. for your next birthday, he gets the actor over to the party to surprise you. yeah, he can be super forgetful at times, but he can do nice things too uwu.

liberosis!myg:

in all probability, he doesn’t know about your crush. on the off chance, that he does he thinks it’s okay because like ?? what ?? is ?? he ?? supposed ?? to ?? do ?? about ?? it ?? once he asked what do you like the best about your favourite character (expecting an answer about the actor’s personality or acting skills) but you just said “he hot boy” and he made a disgusted face before walking out.