#getting shorter and shorter i'm sorry

[dailymanners]

Always use "excuse me" if you have to get into someone else's personal space.

Someone at the store is standing in front of the shelf where there's a can you want to grab? Don't just reach into their personal space without warning, say "excuse me" or "pardon my reach" first so that they at least have a warning that someone is about to reach into their personal space, and most importantly, so that they have a chance to move before you get into their space.

Or if someone is standing on a walkway or in a doorway you need to get through, don't just silently shove past them or squeeze past them, say "excuse me" so that they have a warning that a someone is about to squeeze or shove into their personal space, and they have a chance to move out of the way before you do you.

People deserve a fair warning if someone is about to squeeze or shove or reach into their personal space. A lot of people are not okay with having someone, but especially a stranger, randomly shove or squeeze or reach into their personal space without warning. They also deserve a chance to move out of the way first for the sake of their comfort.

Try to avoid just staring at people who are in your way and expecting them to read your mind that you want them to move. Most people cannot, in fact, read minds, so having someone stand in front of them and stare at them often only leads to making them feel uncomfortable and frustrated.

But also more importantly, if you are standing somewhere someone needs to get to, and they say excuse me, you should move aside for them even if just temporarily, so they can avoid the discomfort of having to reach into your personal space or squeeze past you.

If someone is saying "excuse me" it's because they would like you to move because they don't want to have to get into your personal space, whether it's out of respect for you, or just because they themselves are not comfortable getting in your personal space.

All of this goes double for people with trauma and/or people who are neurodivergent. If someone has trauma related to abuse or assault they may find it more upsetting or possibly triggering to suddenly have someone shoving or reaching in their personal space without warning.

Or, many types of neurodivergence can make it especially disturbing and unpleasant to have someone else in your personal space, especially without warning.

You can never be 100% sure who is and isn't traumatized and/or neurodivergent, so always practice respecting other's personal space by giving them a fair warning with "excuse me" or "pardon my reach" before getting in their personal space, and moving aside when you hear those magic words. Or, even if someone isn't traumatized nor neurodivergent, it's still fair to not like someone in your personal space without warning and not being given the opportunity to move first.

[madeofjules]

I'll never agree with the short Peeta/tall Katniss takes because their canonical sizes are both narratively and thematically relevant.

Peeta's medium height and stocky build give him the size and strength to overpower most of his competitors in the arena, yet he rarely uses those traits to hurt people despite being in circumstances that encourage violence. Having the power and motive to be deadly and choosing to be kind instead is what defines Peeta's character.

Katniss's small size generally puts her at a disadvantage in the Games but she's still very deadly. I like that she's earned the skills (bow and arrow, hunting) and survivor mentality that make her a formidable tribute because she's not supposed to be this naturally gifted "chosen one" type figure. She's a regular teenage girl who has some special qualities but still needs a lot of help to win the Games.

Their size difference is also relevant in their relationship. Katniss has had to take care of herself since she was a young girl because of her mother's neglect, and as a result she doesn't trust other people to protect her. She's understandably mistrustful of Peeta's kindness when they become tributes, as one of them has to die for the other to live and he has the ability to kill her with his bare hands if he wants to (which we see later on when he's hijacked). Yet once they become allies, his larger size is no longer a potential threat but a source of comfort and protection; being held by him is the safest Katniss has felt with anyone since her parents held her as a little kid. And after they leave the arena, his strong arms are the only ones she trusts to guard her from her nightmares.

So even though I do think short guy-tall girl couples deserve more rep, it doesn't really make sense for Peeta and Katniss. And tbh viewing the gentle and compassionate boy as short and the tough hunter girl as tall is a little stereotypical lol.

[okiroash]

Obsessed with post-mt. silver red... the champion you hailed as a legend, a concept of what strength is, right now- is having trouble finding where he put his wallet because he didn't need to use money for three years (the cashier watches as red rummages through his bag, the sounds of various items clanking can be heard through the room...) anyway,, some fun headcanons for him that I first wanted to tell along with illustrations but,, I don't have the energy to do that rn,, -> He knows how to mimic a pokemon's cry to such accuracy,, esp those of wild strong pokemon that lives in mountain silver, this is so that- with just himself he can terrify the weaker pokemon and make them scamper away.. it's important that his team stay at top condition and not make them waste necessary energy in case something bad would happen -> Though this doesn't mean he uses his voice more, having no one to talk to (or even the need to-) for an extended period of time, makes it easier to get into a coughing fit if he were to talk too much, leading to him talking slower, softer, and always in short chopped sentences after coming down (but still have that polite way of talking, judging from the dialogue in FRLG with the pokedoll girl compared to ethan's.... who even uses "pardon me" these days? red apparently) -> He learned how to run on all four.. when there's literally just you and your animal friends in some mountain you're bound to be a weirder guy, sorry man (and he actually moves faster this way.. but red's aware that this is something he could only do in the wild) -> Red moves like a ghost, it's good when you don't want to alarm the wild pokemon around you (and now it's people to avoid getting recognized), but this makes it hard for him to announce his presence which always end up surprising people.. -> Whenever he doesn't know how to react to a joke or what it means, he will tilt his head and stare at them with the biggest autism eyes ever.... -> Post-mt silver red gets put into a lot of socially awkward situations, it can't be helped 💔 -> Because he spent so long in a dangerous environment, red is very vigilant and cautious, though.. sometimes overly that it's not healthy, it took a while for him to start relaxing a bit more after going back to "normalcy" -> Red tried to keep track of time by writing in his diary.. one day he flipped the paper and found that he had run out of them.. he started writing on the cave's wall instead -> talking about diary, it's one of his few emotional outputs, on really bad days it's full of scribbles, messy writing, repeating words and rarely, tear stains -> being far from a talkative person, he can't just vent out his emotions through talking.. and because he has such an unexpressive face, people often think there's nothing wrong with him, simply a hero you can always depend on. red developed a slight anger issue from not being able to properly express his emotions, sometimes he would bent and smash things to let off some steam (dw.. nothing valuable, probably trashes or rocks..)

-> He finds a lot of comfort in his pokemon, rubbing circles on pikachu's fur, sleeping on top of snorlax, feeling charizard's warmth... (yeah you get what I mean,,) He also likes getting carried by them, it's a feeling of comfort that something is guiding him, just like the old days with his mom

[tommarvoloriddlesdiary]

Trick or treat :kek:

i wanted to give you a trick, but that felt too mean 😂 you only deserve treats too, dande 😌 (again - boldly declaring that my writing is a treat, how dare i)

-

The first time Voldemort realises he is preoccupied by Harry Potter, he dismisses it as a temporary obsession, an effect of the prophecy’s weight hanging over them both. He reasons that it is only natural to feel that connection, that persistent pull of fate that entwines them. But over time, he finds himself lingering on details that have nothing to do with power, prophecy, or survival.

He notices the way Harry stands, shoulders squared as if ready to take on the entire world with that endless courage. The way he meets Voldemort’s eyes with a gaze that burns with conviction and resentment—a fire even the Dark Lord can appreciate. He observes the shadows under Harry’s eyes, the exhaustion and strain he hides with an almost maddening determination.

At night, when silence blankets his surroundings and the shadows seem to close in, Voldemort entertains himself by wondering how such a fragile-seeming figure holds such relentless strength.

It’s during these quiet moments that Voldemort’s imaginations tend to run wild… and he, in turn, tends to run indulgent.

“Imagine,” he murmurs into the near-darkness, voice barely a whisper of parseltongue. He is alone in his chambers, with nothing but the faint crackle of the dying fireplace to answer him. “Imagine the boy at your side.”

He lets himself imagine the scene vividly. Harry, fierce as always, beside him, eyes blazing but no longer with hatred. No, Harry looks at him with something akin to loyalty—devotion, perhaps. And Voldemort moulds him, sharpens that unyielding spirit, wields him like a blade against anyone who dares oppose him. 

It is, of course, impossible. The boy has proven his defiance time and again, but imagining a world where Harry Potter is his… It’s a delightfully twisted pleasure.

He can see flashes of it when he duels with Harry. He lets their spells clash longer than necessary, twisting his wand in complex arcs to draw out their exchanges. Voldemort always casts his most elegant spells, feeling a shiver of satisfaction when Harry blocks them, though he never holds back enough to allow any real advantage.

They have circled each other, surrounded by the acrid smell of scorched earth and smoke, and Voldemort can see it—the gleam of fire in Harry’s eyes that seems almost respectful, if only for Voldemort’s sheer skill. Perhaps one day, he has thought, as his fingers twist around his wand. One day he will see reason. One day he will recognise his proper place.

Voldemort’s lips curve into a slow, almost serene smile as the firelight casts strange shadows across his features. He knows it is madness to indulge in such thoughts, but he allows it, and the fantasies bloom in his mind. After all, he is a master of bending the world to his will. He would take Harry’s resistance, his fire, his drive—and once he had them if he could just turn them inward, redirect them toward his cause…

“Yes,” he hisses softly, a strange kind of longing in his voice. “Yes, I could make him see.”

And in his fantasies, Harry does see. Voldemort imagines the boy on his knees, not in defeat but in reverence, with that same fierce loyalty that he always displays toward those he loves. Only now, that loyalty is directed at him. Yes, in his mind, Voldemort can feel the heat of Harry’s presence beside him, a flame he can waiver but never fully extinguish—and for reasons he can’t quite explain, he doesn’t want to extinguish it. He wants it close, flaring bright, a fiendfyre only he can command… Voldemort knows it is perverse to entertain such a vision, but he can’t deny its allure.

So it’s nights like this, quiet and still, that Voldemort finds himself in fits of whimsy. Obscene behaviour he will never admit to—a summoned bit of parchment and his bent form drafting a letter—a message to Harry. He imagines himself delivering it with a trace of charm, that magnetic charisma he’d once wielded as Tom Riddle. The letter itself is a promise. A darkly tempting offer that whispers of power and knowledge surpassing anything Harry can imagine. Join me, it murmurs from his writing desk, and I will show you things beyond even your boldest dreams.

And as the sun creeps up, joining the dead, undead, and deeply asleep, Voldemort holds the letter before the dying embers of the fireplace and watches blankly as it catches alight. He burns it, scoffing at his own foolishness.

One day, he tells himself as he stalks the halls of Malfoy Manor, irritation under his skin from another fitfully restless night. One day he will either have Harry by his side—willingly or not—or he will be rid of this strange obsession. But until then, he allows himself the indulgence of these fantasies, of a loyalty untainted by fear and of a fire that burns for him alone.

And the next night, in the silence of his dark chambers, with only shadows to witness, when he finds himself with imaginations that tend to run wild… he finds himself waiting—waiting for the day when Harry Potter will be his.

-

(fin...?)

[a-non-event]

"You got yourself a partner."

[simsdaughters]

RICH ROMANCE || A BACHELOR CHALLENGE

EP 2. - PART 1

As Emet brings the group to a bar & pool for their first "group date", Avery starts questioning more seriously if she joined a vampire dating challenge by accident. Thanks to Emet's social maneuvering, she second-guesses herself, despite Visha all but confirming it.

Contestants by: @thebramblewood @plasmafruittree @havenroyals @riverofjazzsims @moonfromearth @plasmafruittree @invisiblequeen @bloomingkyras

[necrotic-nephilim]

i recently remembered DickTim Week 2024 is happening very soon and i looked at the prompts again to see if i could get anything out for it and. the Hades & Persephone AU prompt for day 1 has got me really thinking so here's a vague concept i plan to write.

i've been pretty burnt out on modern Hades & Persephone retellings because of how they always seem to fall into the same generic "innocent wide-eyed girl runs from her evil mean mother into the arms of a dark mysterious man because actually she went willingly and chose to marry him" which has gotten repetitive for my tastes. (for clarity i don't care if this retelling is your cup of tea personally, so long as you're not actively trying to rewrite the original myth and claim untrue things about it, if this is your favorite flavor i sincerely hope you enjoy the buffet i just have little interest in it since it feels overdone for me and exhausted of it's supposed commentary atp)

but? but. biblically accurate Hades & Persephone AU has me all kinds of interested. because wait listen so hear me out right. Hades!Dick and Persephone!Tim, obviously. i feel it'd be more loosely inspired by with themes and imagery (though playing with death and nature powers could be interesting, i haven't decided) rather than explicitly making them gods and all. but. something dark and fucked up where Dick and Bruce are especially estranged. maybe to do with Jason's return, maybe to do with them just clashing and having their usual explosive arguments. and Bruce knows the peace needs to be kept, if he and Dick are at odds then everyone starts to pick sides and things just fracture so he needs a peace offering.

and the peace offering is Tim.

Bruce (the stand-in for Zeus) offers up Tim. agrees to have Tim move to Bludhaven and be Dick's... whatever Dick wants him to be. knowing that with the implication comes the likelihood of Dick grooming Tim. and Tim has no real say and is hesitant to put up a real fight. he doesn't want this, he knows what this is going to imply Dick will do to him, but he also knows if he says no things have the possibility to just... fall apart. so he's the unwilling bride, dragged off to the metaphorical underworld (Bludhaven) with Dick, away from his family, his friends, the life he built.

and on the flip side, i think weirdly enough, your best pick for the Demeter stand-in is *Jason*. just, hear me out on that. not necessarily on the side of it being motherly, but on Jason being just estranged enough from the Batfamily to be the one willing to call it out for being bad and wrong and raising bloody hell to get Tim back. maybe it's because Jason wants Tim for himself, maybe it's truly out of a concern for Tim to have autonomy, i'm toying with the idea of it primarily being Tim's POV and him genuinely not knowing which of these is true. (and the truth possibly ends up being a complicated middle ground) and because i like Helena, i think you can use her as the Hekate stand in, the one who strikes a tentative alliance with Jason and tries to go find Tim and bring him back. Tim stuck with Dick, getting groomed and hyperaware of it, possibly even getting fucked the whole time as well, knowing he can't go back without causing massive issues for Dick and Bruce because well, Bruce did promise him to Dick. so he has to adjust his whole life, try to figure out being a vigilante in this new city with Dick breathing down his neck the whole time.

and then much like the ending of the myth, a sort of compromise is struck that's a shaky deal for everyone involved. Tim is put on an essential timeshare, going back and forth between Gotham, where he has friends and family and a support system, then getting dragged right back to Bludhaven with Dick in this brutal cycle that he slowly gets used to and stockholm'd into even liking it. Dick isn't so bad, once he gets used to the quirks of their unbalanced 'relationship'. the sex is even something he can adjust to as well. not quite a happy ending but one that sits in this realistic grey area that becomes Tim's life.

i will write this, eventually, but i don't know if i'll get to it before DickTim Week ends so by posting the idea i'm essentially putting it out into the world so the peer pressure holds me accountable. i just. really like the potential of making Hades/Persephone AUs as fucked up as they can be simply by adhering to the source material and making it a raw story of being stolen away and forced to like this new home you didn't ask for.

also a less fleshed-out aspect of this idea i have ties into Persephone becoming the Queen of the Underworld when she's taken and how the transition from Kore to Persephone could be reflected in Tim. how he makes the best of the worst situation and becomes something far more dangerous and dark when he's in Bludhaven, possibly takes on a new vigilante name/identity and leans into the worst quirks of his personality he tries to tamper because there's no point in not going full tilt Obsessively Weird if he has no choice anyway and it being one small way he takes back his autonomy, and that inevitably making Dick *more* into him, because he gets to see Tim finally just. let loose.

[sketchy-mf]

Scrolling through insta stories like

Oh hey it was a slicked back bowlcut as I suspected after all

JOOST WHAT IS THIS? 😭

[stormy-nights-are-best]

Hey WHAT if I made your turtles [shiny emoji] slightly more scientifically accurate [shiny emoji]?

I'll start with the Disaster Twins.

Alright, so Leo is a red-eared slider turtle. At first I was skeptical about his blue shell and horizontal marks, but then with some research, I found red-eared sliders aren't always just the most gorgeous green - I found this lil blue gal in the pic! - AND their stripes CAN have some wiggles that make horizontal lines (first pic tart has one on its shoulder). So I didn't have to change those!

I did give him some actual stripes and plastron marks (there is no red-eared slider without those, plus they can be blue too so it suits him) though.

And a long thin tail because I'm okay with Trans Leo (male slider have short thick tails like in pic 2)

It was hard to figure out which type of spiny softshell Donnie was at first, but I was being dumb. It's obviously the Northern.

I started this whole project to fix Leo and Donnie's markings and DANG IT THEY'RE NOT INACCURATE- Spiny softshell turtles can have purple marks just fine (I'm pissed) so I let him keep his cool tech markings and just fixed his plastron. Picture one is a softshell's plastron, in case you hadn't realized. I know I took a while.

And!! Spiny softshell turtles have U-shaped nostrils. That's very important.

The hands and feet I gave Donnie are a little different from all the others' because so are spiny softshell turtles'.

But I think it'd be comical if the guys still couldn't tell the difference between the twins without their color coDING

OH, YOU MUST HAVE NOTICED LEO'S PERFECTLY FINE AND RAPH DOESN'T HAVE A HOLE IN HIS SHELL! That's because those are gonna be all in that time gap between the end of S2 and the movie.

If you WANt scientifically accurate post-movie wounds though.... Here's Leo's.

[astrobei]

a body in motion - chapter 3

“Tell me something,” Mike says, as the silence stretches on. He’s still looking up at the ceiling, and it’s so dark that his eyes might as well be closed, but turning– being face-to-face with Will– feels daunting. Even without eye contact, the idea is enough to make something swoop low in his stomach, dangerous and warm. “Since we’re awake anyway.”

The sheets rustle some more as Will shifts. “What do you want me to tell you?”

[sophiethewitch1]

UwU any spoilers for the next chapter,,

I have meant to do this multiple times but keep forgetting so here's an extra long snippet in apology! It's basically the entire start of the next chapter ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Damn. Your indulgent TV stalking of the Wayne’s really doesn’t hit the same once you technically knew them. And you were hiding inside one of their bedrooms, inside one of their clothes, using their TV subscription. It just didn’t feel right. Morally, of course, but that wasn’t what you were talking about. No, you were just pissy your favourite passtime was basically ruined. You shovel another spoonful of cookie dough ice cream into your mouth, glaring through tired eyes at the screen.

There’s an up close shot of Dick Grayson’s abs. The presenter ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ over his physical form, and you have to agree. You wish you had abs like that. Unfortunately you did respond to most unwanted experiences with stress eating. As always with these celebrity figures, you can’t really tell if you want to be Dick or be with Dick. Your butt is nowhere near the level his is at.

While you hadn’t really set out today looking for shirtless pictures of the Waynes, it wasn’t like you were going to say no to them. So, when the gossip channel had switched from the reactions of the Waynes to last night’s fiasco to… this… you’d just kept watching.

You wonder if you should stop doing this. It’s definitely kind of creepy, and now you’d technically once been his… step sister. What a mind fuck. You’ve been crushing on these dudes for a while, and now they were your ex-step siblings. This was like the start of a bad porno, but you knew you were not that lucky. And it wasn’t like you were going to start thinking of him as a brother any time soon. You hadn’t even met the guy. No, he was still firmly in the ‘celebrity crush’ section of your mind. Pretty and untouchable. The way things are supposed to be.

Which was also bad because you would probably have to meet and interact with him at some point. Probably in the near future. God knows you’d absolutely humiliated yourself in front of the fucking Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne,. Twice, in fact. You didn’t even want to think about the display you’d shown for Bruce Wayne or Damian Wayne.

You didn’t really know what to do with your slightly obsessive crushes. And you could see it definitely being a problem in the near future.

…You decide that what you do in your private time is absolutely nobody but yours business, and keep watching. It’s a mix of bitter spite and geniune mental breakdown levels of desperation that leads you to that decision. You feel like you’re a child with their toy being taken away, and it’s making you mad. And sad too. Even if you shouldn’t do this anymore, you still wanted to keep the habit. You’d mentioned before your creature comforts were one of the few things that kept you going. And while you were mostly very good at not being the jealous, heinous creature you really are, you knew you wouldn’t be giving this up.

They’d have to tear your gossip channels from your cold dead palms. You weren’t giving them up, not without a fight at least. Unfortunately for you, the universe seemed determined to wrestle away literally everything you loved.

Guilt’s for tomorrow. Today is for ice cream and purposefully ignoring everything. Speaking of which, you can not remember the last time you had a good Ben & Jerry’s. They were so expensive these days, as all groceries were. You simply couldn’t afford it. The Waynes, of course, had multiple tubs in multiple different options. Alfred had seemed delighted that you’d taken the ice cream, for which reasons you could not perceive.

Oh, yeah! His name was Alfred. Very butler-y. You’d remember it this time, he was a very nice man. And he called you ‘young miss’ which earned him points. He also didn’t seem to hate you on sight, or treat you like a two-headed freak, like some of the other people in this household. Not naming names. Yeah, fuck that noise, Damian Wayne obviously has issues and it’s much less attractive in real life.

The woman drones on, and your eyes flick to your phone. Yup, she’s still yapping. It’s not like you don’t appreciate Dick’s abs or anything, it’s just that you think she might’ve been talking about this one specific photo for over half an hour now. Lady should get a hobby. Wait, wait, this is her job. Maybe you should start a podcast where you rant about the Wayne’s excercise regimes. It seems to be quite a lucrative field.

You shriek when the door slams open, nearly tumbling backwards off the bed. Hands manage to grip the bedcovers before you tip over, not making a complete fool of yourself. As it goes, you lose your spoon to the carpet. Bits of cookie dough spread over the floor in a divine sacrifice. And you lose your sanity to the man standing in the doorway. To be fair, he looks just as confused as you feel.

You blink at the physically perfect form of Dick Grayson, and then turn your head to the TV to look at the other physically perfect form of Dick Grayson.

…You really wish you had a good explanation for this.

He mutters out your name, lips parted. Dick Grayson seems absolutely shocked to find you here. His eyes flick around the room, and eventually land on the TV. Said baby blues widen to the size of saucers when the reporter makes a really, really unneccesary comment.

“And in news that broke the hearts of both ladies and gentlemen everywhere in Bludhaven, Dick Grayson has announced he will be returning to Gotham to assist his family in this difficult time. My cousin in the Blud is probably crying right now. There’s no ass out there quite like his, and there’s no replacement for Bludhaven’s favourite young rich bachelor,” she winks at the camera, and then the shot of his tone stomach phases forward to take up the entire screen.

Well, there’s a lot to say about that. First of all, fuck. Second of all, shit. Third of all, she really couldn’t have said that part about Dick coming back to Gotham sooner? Per chance, before you’d found yourself in this situation?

You said you weren’t that lucky, you meant it.

“But still, ain’t that lucky for us Gothamites? I myself have spent a lot of time on Dick’s Tiktok and Instagram, and his thirst traps have been used in a lot of my personal-”

You snatch the remote from the sheets and pause it right there. The silence is tense.

[accirax]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 9)

Time to shoot my shot at nailing a perfect score for the next elimination. Something tells me that the power rankings game is about to change, though...

In case you haven't seen my previous power rankings ( 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 ), the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. So, in essence, this is a long form way of predicting who I think will be eliminated from the competition in the next episode. There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - Tess' Elimination

Current Point Total: 34 acquired/53 total

Um. Oops.

Needless to say, Tess wasn't the only one blindsided this episode. I guess putting Tess in the direct middle point of my rankings wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, but I'm pretty sure it is my worst call of the season thus far. I had the right idea about Gabby being able to somehow eliminate one of the Cyan heroes, even if the "advantage" I was picturing was entirely different from the team-combining that wound up happening. Thanks a lot for throwing that one on me out of nowhere, Kristal.

Like I said in my initial thoughts, I do sort of wish that Aiden would have been the one to go home instead of Tess. However, I also feel like some opinions I've seen around have been... overestimating the extent to which Tess was a good character this season, in my opinion. I do think Tess' portrayal in All Stars is probably superior to S2, just because her arc wasn't solely hinging on Hunter. However, her portrayal this season was getting a little boring, at least to me. She was kind, patient, a good friend, super strong, great at claw games... what are her flaws supposed to be, again?

It was definitely supposed to be her indecisive nature; she needed to choose whether she should stick with her friends or do what's best for her game. Then again, that decision was kind of made for her by Ellie acting more villainously, such that Tess never needed to make a judgment call. (She got to stand by her friends and do what was better for her game.) I was starting to worry that she would just coast to the finale as a very likeable yet fairly bland hero-- sort of like what the show makes fun of S2 Aiden for being, but at least he wasn't solely solving others' problems as he went.

I don't want to make this sound like I'm some huge Tess anti. I like Tess! I'm sad she had to go! I found her indecision and commitment to kindness relatable, and I enjoyed her interactions with Ally and Ellie especially. I just don't fully understand all of the people bemoaning the fact that the DC writers sent some phenomenal, lynchpin character home ahead of her time when I think she served her purpose as a mid-game exit nicely. Even if you disagree, I hope you can respect me sharing my thoughts.

Trailer Analysis

Here's the big one out of the way-- it's finally the merge! Between the shared tent and everyone being present at tribal, there's really no way to argue around that. Finally, I don't have to try to anticipate when the merge is going to happen to predict where characters might go. Of course, this opens up the new can of worms that is trying to predict how everyone will act now that they're at the same camp. I feel like it should be easier, but... we'll see...?

Here's Gabby following after the villain's alliance. The fact that she's trailing behind them could imply that they aren't fully including Gabby in their proceedings, but... I genuinely don't know why they would do that? With 10 people at the merge, six votes is a majority, so it's super important for the villains to work with Gabby to have at least five in numbers. This is probably more that the former Yellow Team goes off to do something and Gabby follows behind them, making it obvious where her allegiances lie.

Tom and Jake are having a chat... again. Now that these two are on the same team again, this is gonna happen a lot, isn't it?

Looks like the merge color might be black, which makes sense as the K to their CMYK. Yul has some purple paint on his chin, which may be the result of Kristal demonstrating the paint gun on him. Or, the ammo might not be paint, but instead the blueberries we see throughout the trailer-- same point either way. Also, Ashley (and maybe Grett) is the only morning person. Tracks.

The challenge is something involving paint guns, not sure what. We don't see any footage of people covered in paint, which possibly means that shooting other people isn't part of the challenge? Or, maybe they're just trying to hide who doesn't win immunity. I imagine that, whatever it is, Ashley will be pretty good at it. Ally too. All of the guns and gear are the same color, so it seems like there aren't any inherent teams, but it is a challenge in which allies seem to be working together to some capacity.

Everyone at tribal! Very fun. Unlike Survivor, there's no immunity necklace, so we can't tell who may be immune at this vote. People are still sitting with their tribes, but I don't think that has any meaning beyond people sitting by those they're aligned with.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. The person voted out will have to leave for the Bus of Losers immediately!"

The dialogue is the standard thing that Kristal says before every vote reading, so nothing particularly special there. However, what I want to look at is who was shown reacting in the flashes before the votes are read. Can they give us hints as to who is in danger? Here's who was shown in every All Stars episode prior to this one:

(no votes)

Fiore + Hunter + Ashley/Jake

Gabby/Tom/Aiden + Tess/Lake/Ellie*

Riya/Grett/Alec + Miriam/Connor/Yul*

Ashley + Hunter/Ally + Fiore

Yul/Grett + Connor/Alec/Riya*

Fiore/Ally + Jake/Ashley*

Ellie + Tom + Gabby

Tess/Aiden/Tom + Riya/Yul/Alec/Grett + Gabby*

Okay, that wasn't actually as helpful as I thought, just because 5/8 rounds showed every person on the team, which guarantees 100% chance of showing the boot. Still, in the three cases that they didn't show everyone, 2/3 showed the boot, and 3/3 of them showed people who received votes. This could imply that some of Ally, Yul, Alec, and Jake could be major vote-getters, or the eliminated person, in the tribal council.

I hoped it would help me out more, because, with unofficial lines drawn between five heroes (Ashley, Ally, Jake, Tom, Aiden) and five villains (Alec, Riya, Yul, Grett, Gabby), I think this tribal could be fairly unpredictable. Will a villain ascend to heroism, or will a hero fall into villainy? Here are my thoughts.

Power Ranking

#1: Gabby

(I guess if the merge team's color is black, I just have to leave the name black.)

She finally did it! Gabby is #1 in my power rankings!!! What could be behind much a major shift in position?

Well, the merge, basically. Not from an edit position, though: this is a direct result of her swing-voting her way to safety. Gabby was the most recent addition to the decently tight villains alliance, so it stands to reason that, if the heroes are looking for a sixth to bring to their side, they would want to work with Gabby, not vote her out. Not to mention, the villains have no reason to target Gabby at the moment, because they desperately need her vote. Sounds like no votes will be cast in Gabby's name, eh?

As the cherry on top, Gabby was the merge boot in S1, and I would imagine that they wouldn't want to give her that exact same placement again. In my mind, there's basically no way that this episode will result in Gabby's elimination.

#2: Grett

My highest placed choices this time were chosen based on the logic, "which of the heroes would be the least likely for the villains to target, and which of the villains would be the least likely for the heroes to target?" Out of all the potential threats in the villains alliance, I see very little reason why the heroes would view Grett as the biggest.

While last challenge did prove that she is a baller, Grett isn't exactly known as being a huge challenge threat. (The one individual immunity she won in S1 was basically handed to her by Alec and Fiore.) She's not a strategic mastermind or leader, and most of the relationships she had coming out of S1 lean negative. The heroes would only target her to diminish the villains' numbers, but if you have the chance to diminish the villains' numbers, why wouldn't you target someone scarier?

Grett appears to still be in the middle of her character arc, and, at this point, I see her arc ending with Yul exiting the game before she does. That hasn't happened yet, so I imagine that Grett will be camping for a little while longer yet.

#3: Jake

Listen up, 'cause this next piece of reasoning is going to be important for the rest of my power rankings this week. I think that, if the villains are looking for a sixth vote to recruit, they're going to be looking to Jake as their most likely addition. Alec already manipulated Jake once this season to vote out James and save Fiore, so Jake would probably be at the forefront of Alec's mind when coming up with plans to eliminate heroes and save villains again. Jake is also... teetering on the edge of hero and villain this season, narratively speaking, so it would make sense if he had to face that music at some point.

Whether Jake flips on the heroes or not, if the villains want to work with him, he won't be their target. And, even if he isn't their object of recruitment, why Jake? The man is a hot mess! His mere presence causes conflict between the heroes, both on the Ashley/Ally end and the Tom/Aiden end. The villains should be trying to keep him around for as long as possible.

Despite my glowing(?) words, there is one way that I could see Jake going home. If Ally, Aiden, or whoever was so sick of Jake that they were willing to work with the villains just to take him out, the villains could exploit that and eliminate him on an "at least it's not me" basis. However, I don't think that would be the plan, because I don't think Ally or Aiden would really want to agree to it, and I don't think it makes much sense narratively. I don't think Jake will be eliminated. That's why he's #3.

#4: Alec

I believe that, if the heroes could somehow magically eliminate the villain of their choosing, Alec would be the smartest option for them to shoot for. He's their leader, and without them, the alliance might crumble (such as, if Yul and Riya start going for each other's throats again).

He's also proven to be pretty good at immunity challenges. Yes, he only actually won 1/5 individual immunity challenges in S1, which was the scorpions in the cave challenge. But, let's look at a breakdown of what actually happened. Alec had mastery of both the questions and cages challenge and the zombie apocalypse challenge, handing off the win to his teammates (Grett and Fiore) for strategic reasons. While it's not a guarantee, it's definitely possible he could have won the medals in the rain challenge if he didn't forfeit the win to Ellie. And, it took active sabotage on Ellie's part to prevent him from winning the final four paired challenge. Add all that together, and... there's a possibility that Alec could have won every individual immunity challenge based on pure skill if no strategy was involved. He's scary!

However, that's only what the heroes would do ideally. In reality, I have no idea how they would bring the votes together to land on Alec. I don't know if all five heroes could count on all five of their votes to coalesce on Alec, much less pulling in one of the villains, who all seem to respect him.

For these reasons, maybe I should have put Alec even higher up on the list. I don't think it would make much narrative sense for him to go home at this point, either. However, I do understand why people would want to attempt to vote him out, which I can't say for Gabby, Grett, or (for the most part) Jake. Thus, Alec lands in spot #4... just like in S1. Smh.

#5: Yul

Kind of similarly to Jake, I think that the main reason why Yul would be voted out would be if the heroes were able to convince the villains (Alec and Riya at least) to flip Yul because he's just that annoying. However, this would be an incredibly bold move to make when the heroes have very little information as to the inner workings of the former Yellow team. As far as they know, Yul and Grett are still a happy couple. I also see Alec willing to give up one of his numbers at this point even less than Ally or Ashley, so the whole plan seems unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely.

Anyways, Yul is still obviously involved in a plotline with Grett and the rest of Yellow, but that could be resolved in one episode at any point now, imo. I just think that's probably still coming a few episodes down the line, to break up the villains then instead of now. Yul should be thanking his lucky stars that Yellow never went to tribal again after voting out Connor. I guess he probably thinks that he is his own lucky star. Yul should be thanking himself. Yeah, that tracks with Yul's thought process.

#6: Riya

With Riya being placed here, I think you can pretty clearly tell that I think the villains are going to win this round, sending a hero home. I just think it makes more sense with my projected arc for the rest of the season. The villains will stick with their alliance and kick out a hero or two, but just when all hope seems lost for the heroes (for instance, when there are three of them left) the villains will turn on each other and start cannibalizing themselves. Therefore, at the end, we can have a mix of surviving heroes and villains for the finale. That's what makes most sense to me at this point, although I acknowledge that I'm not factoring in the status quo shakeup of a returning player. Mostly because I don't know when they're coming back. Oops.

Anyways, in the case that I'm wrong, I think Riya would be the most likely villain to be eliminated. This is mostly because of Aiden's vendetta against her. I'm not saying that Aiden would necessarily be the hero alliance's leader or anything, but in the case that no one else has any strong opinions on who to take out, we know that Aiden has a strong preference for taking out Riya. Tom would probably back him up, too.

Riya is in a weird spot narratively because what she has right now is, "friends with Alec, enemies with Aiden, friends and enemies with Yul." She clearly has some important relationships, but... she isn't really undergoing any kind of character development, as far as I can tell? Like, they aren't delving as deep into her character as they are with Gabby, Grett, Ally, etc. It's possible that could spell mid-game boot for her? Still, I don't think that will be now, because the villains seem far less shakable than the fractured heroes at this point. I was pretty wrong about Tess last time though, so, there's certainly a possibility that I'll be cashing in 6 points for Riya at the end of this episode.

#7: Ashley

Now that we've reached the merge, Ashley doesn't have that same sort of shield that I felt she had pre-merge. It's definitely possible that the villains would choose to snipe Ashley for the same reasons that the heroes would love to snipe Alec: she's strong and tough, as well as a calming/uniting factor between Jake and Ally. She's the most heroic hero. Take Ashley away, and the prospects of the heroes mustering any kind of alliance grow even dimmer.

However, because Ashley is so well liked, it would be really hard for the villains to convince one of the heroes to vote with them to take her out. Like, no shot Ally takes that deal, and Aiden and Tom would have to realize that it'd be a bad move for their games to do so. There's a small chance that they could manipulate Jake's jealousy to convince him to do it, but 9 times out of 10 that manipulation would result in an Ally boot instead.

Furthermore, there's a high chance that Ashley will win immunity in this country-ass shooting challenge, rendering this entire train of thought pointless. Ashley is probably still fine, but I could see her role in the narrative no longer being necessary at this point as well. It's that that landed her down here, instead of higher on the list.

#8: Tom

These next three are the ones who I believe are seriously at risk of going home. Like I said, I think that Jake is going to (temporarily) continue his chain of character degradation by letting his jealousy land him on the villains team, taking out one of the players he's been complaining about these past few episodes. And, boy, has he been complaining about Tom...!

Tom is a decently big physical threat, so I see no reason why the villains wouldn't agree to take him out if that's what they managed to get Jake on board for. If Tom, say, decided to tell Jake that he was lying about having a boyfriend in their chat on that rock, Jake could grow so fed up with Tom that he just wants Tom out. That could lead to a Tom elimination, as a result of his lies.

However, part of me still believes that it's still too early to pull the trigger on sending Tom home. Both Tom and Jake have still privately admitted that they really care about the other, and if that's how Jake really feels, he might have a hard time actually putting pen to paper. They haven't been on the same team all season thus far. Couldn't Jake still feel guilty about idoling Tom out with his own totem last time, and not be able to write Tom's name down...? I feel like there are still other characters more expendable than Tom, but I wouldn't be shocked if Tom went here.

#9: Ally

Ally is one of the people that Jake could wind up targeting, for sure. Voting Aiden out might make Tom dislike him even more, whereas, theoretically, if Ally were gone, Ashley would have no choice but to make Jake her closest partner. That could be appealing for Jake.

Whether or not Ally would stick around in a narrative sense is... difficult. Now that Tess has been eliminated, I feel like the writers would want to keep Ally around as a representative of that relationship/plot point of S2. However, without Hunter or Tess still in the game, the potential for future Ally-centric plotlines has also been slightly kneecapped.

For whatever reasons, it seems to me like the writers didn't really like the HunTessAlly relationship in general? All three of them had pretty radical personality changes since S2, and Hunter and Tess were both eliminated somewhat randomly in favor of characters who made it further the first time (Fiore and Aiden). Out of the three, I think that changed-Ally both had the most care put into her and emanates the most potential. But, it could be that all three of them were brought back into the season with minor "improvements" (subject to viewer interpretation whether they are improvements-- I think Ally is better, Hunter is worse, and Tess is a draw) mostly as plot devices/stepping stools for other, more important characters.

(I don't hate Ally, either. I like Ally. I just think that the way the HunTessAlly relationship has been handled this season has been less than ideal. I get it, because the writers wanted to prioritize other relationships, all of which I've been enjoying, but I still wish they could have gotten more focus time for themselves and not just as props to other characters. Maybe I'm explaining too much. I don't like being negative :( )

However, I also think Ally could win this challenge with her pro gamer skillz. So, there's that. Besides, I can't help but feel like there's someone Jake wants out of the game even more than Ally or Tom...

#10: Aiden

Aiden makes the most sense as the next elimination for a lot of reasons. Or, namely, the lots of people who want him out may all come together to make him the next elimination. It's striking.

The villains alliance wants a sixth vote to establish the majority, for which they will probably turn to Jake. Jake wants Aiden out of the game because he kissed Tom and they now have a rivalry. That's one person pitching Aiden's name.

The villains alliance also wants to ensure that they keep Gabby on their side-- even if they can pull in Jake, it doesn't matter so much if Gabby flips back to the heroes because she, like, doesn't want to vote out Ally or whatever. Well, no matter. Gabby wants revenge on her former Cyan tribemates, Tom and Aiden. Gabby wants to vote Aiden out. That's a second person pitching Aiden's name.

But, what if the villains themselves don't actually want to vote Aiden out...? Haha, no. Riya very clearly wants to establish dominance over Aiden once again, and even already threw out his name last episode. And, even though Yul insisted that Aiden wasn't a threat last time, it's not like he likes Aiden, either. It was James' refusal to poison the man that got Yul eliminated and really sick in S2. I'm sure he'd be happy with Aiden leaving from a karma standpoint, if not a strategic one. That could be people three and four pitching Aiden's name.

If the villains want to remain united, throwing all their votes on Aiden makes the most sense. I don't think he would win this challenge, and, still, no totem has been announced, so if he gets six votes, I think he's just toast. This is my guess as to the dominant strategy of the episode, so we'll see if I'm on the mark.

Also, I want to acknowledge that I'm aware that it doesn't have to be a 6-4 (or even 5-5) vote at Tribal council. The villains could, for example, scheme to get Ashley, Ally, and Jake to vote out Aiden, and Aiden and Tom to vote out Ally, while the villains put four votes on Ashley (4-3-2 vote). However, due to the difficulty of executing that plan, I find it unlikely that that's what's going to happen. I feel like Disventure Camp usually sticks to pretty standard voting schemes (like a four person vote going 3-1 instead of 2-1-1 or whatever), so I'm working off of that assumption. I think they did some fancier stuff with Fiore in S1, though, so it's not totally off the table.

Anyways! Those are my power rankings for this week. This episode is going to be really important for establishing the key characters and plotlines moving forward in the post-merge, so I'll surely be keeping my eyes out.

Also, this week is the season finale of the actual Survivor 46! Not really related to DC, but I'm really excited about it, so I'm mentioning it here. I'm gonna be swimming in exciting game show content this week >:) I hope you all have a nice week, too! Bye!

[thatonecrookedsmile]

It's been a little over a month since I read FTB and I wanted to do (and say, I think) a few things related to it. So here, take this. FTB stuff I was wanting to share.

Including some drawings/my designs for some characters (the ones above), some separate sketches, and giving some long thoughts on the book. (This post is looong so I'm going to put everything under the curtain. Enjoy!)

Starting: Rose, Evan and Archie. They are the ones that, I admit, are what I wanted to draw/design most while/after I read the book. Now, at least, if I want to make something involving one of these three one day, I have designs ready to go! Hooray! Evan is the only one of the three that I actually had to design from scratch. With Rose I had made a sketch 1 year ago conceptualizing the idea for her design, and it was only recently that I came back to this idea to finally solidify it. And I had already done Archie's design last year while I was doing my designs for the human cast of BATDR, so I was already prepared without even knowing it.

Also,Ink!Archie!! The poor guy got screwed pretty badly. First two designs in the first image are based on the events in the book. The one on the left is him seen mostly in the book (alive) and the one on the right is when he is in the Ink Realm, post-death. The design in the second image was supposed to be a stylization/variation of his Cycle design. I tried drawing him with a visible mouth/teeth similar to what I did with Sammy in a recent drawing and in some sketches that I didn't post here. I'm not sure about the beard tho. I think I exaggerated it. Next time, remember to draw less beard in this design. (And maybe, for the design that is more "close to canon", don't draw the ends of the hair and beard in the Cycle design)

Any other character in the book, either I don't have a design and I don't plan on making a design for them now, or I do but it will take a while to show them. (I promise I'll show Dot one day)

I also have some additional sketches. So if you want to take a look at that too, here it is:

Ollie Sorenson. This wasn't quite the way I had imagined him when I was reading the book but 1. the hair I tried to draw for him before didn't work out well, so I went another route and 2. Ollie isn't particularly a character in this book that I'm going to I think a lot in comparison to the others (he's still cool, tho) and I doubt I'll make another design for him, so let's go with this one. Not a bad design,so,eh.

Rose. Sketch on the left was made last year. I'm almost certain it was done after the book synopsis was revealed by Kress. The sketch on the right was made last month when I was reading the book. I took the idea from the sketch on the left and tried to solidify her design better.

Evan. Some other sketches made when I read the book. I had just completed his design and wanted to test it a little more to, you know, see if I can actually draw him. Verdict? I think I can.

And now uhhhhhh what I thought of the book! I previously considered doing a separate text post with these thoughts only but I don't do text-only posts in general and if I were to make a separate post it would take a while and it would come out more than 1 month/probably 2 months since I read the book and it would be kinda awkward. And I'm already writing this post, so why not put it all here now, right?

(Warning: My thoughts on the book ended up being MUCH LONGER THAN I EXPECTED TO WRITE. You don't need to read them if you want, they are just more additional and optional things. But if you are going to read them, be warned)

(Spoilers: I may have strayed a little off topic when I started talking about Archie. Don't mention how long his paragraph is, tho)

But yeah, Fade To Black. That was something else, I tell you (and I mean that in a positive way). Probably reading this book after all the fuss that happened about the books a while ago wasn't the best idea possible. But even with…all that in mind, I still wanted to read this for a long time, and I'm glad I went ahead with it. I had a lot of fun with the book! And thinking about it a little over a month after finishing it, I think I can say that this book is up there as, like, one of my favorites of the Bendy books that have been released to date. Before this, I would have considered DCTL my favorite of the books, so I'm somewhere between saying that both of these two are my favorite books in this series and that I like them equally, or that FTB has now become my favorite book of the series, surpassing DCTL. (Maybe I'll have a better idea of ​​this later this year when I reread these books once again)

I really liked the story told, its concept had already interested me since its synopsis was revealed last year - the setting in the 50's, the TV show, the whole 3D glasses thing - so it's no surprise that I was very interested in what this book had to tell. And since I already brought that up: I liked the new concepts it brings to the table,specifically,of course,the glasses and the TV. An idea that,I admit,at first is something I thought was a bit different (and dare i say unusual?) from what I usually see in the Bendy universe (although, it's not something so out of the ordinary from what we've seen before in the series) but I have to say that it's something that I thought was cool even so. 3D glasses that end up transporting your mind into the televised cartoons (and,by all accounts,the ink realm). The jokes I saw that Joey created virtual reality in this book weren't so far-fetched after all lol. But still, it's a concept that I admit to having been interested in, and that it might be cool to play around with in fanon stuff. I also considered this could open doors for other, more "wild" ideas to be explored in the books (as long as they still make sense for a >Bendy< book, of course). I also liked the whole segment taking place in the ink realm at the end of the book, and I hope that this can open up possibilities for future novel stories to take place there, either partially (as in this one) or in full (I accept an entire novel taking place in the cycle,ngl). The additional lore for the ink realm is a nice treat and adds more to what we have in the games. I admit that, at the same time, I feel a little thoughtful about a certain part of this additional lore that - assuming the way I understand it is right - leaves me wondering if this "extended origin" of the cycle coupled with what we already know of its lore would make sense in the games, and how these ideias would be acknowledged in future entries. But at the same time, I may be overthinking this, and the stars may still be aligned, and I've gotten the information wrong. Despite everything, I liked what was told about the ink realm in this book, I appreciate this "extended origin" at the end of the day.

I really liked the cast, both the new ones and the old faces. Rose is great, I really liked her as the protagonist. She's already one of my favorite book characters, I hope we hear from her again in the future. Also, it's good to have a protagonist in these books who survives in the end. Okay, sure, she didn't come out of it 100% unharmed, considering what the ending implies, but still. Again. It's good to have a protagonist in these books who came out of this alive at the end. Evan is also very good. Even though I want to slap him on the back of the head, I also hope to hear from him again, especially considering the way he "exited the story" (is that how you say it?). I talked about the possibility of a future novel taking place in the ink realm, I think that would give a good chance of bringing him back, now as an ink creature. I don't have much to say about Ollie, but I also thought he was cool. The scenes between him and Rose are very nice and the scenes related to the "Bendy Visions" caused by the glasses is another concept that I found very interesting (Tense moments, but cool ones nonetheless) Very happy to see Dot again. I like her character, and I always wanted to see what happened to her after the events of DCTL (TLO had already implied that she was still alive, but I wanted to know more, you know). Her participation in this book is very good, and a chapter that I have to highlight is the one where she meets Rose and they talk in the cafe. Their conversation alone is very good, but the specific part that got me was Dot talking about Buddy, what happened to her after the first book, and Buddy's family. That part was like. A slap in the heart, I'm not going to lie. This chapter made me sad, 10/10. Favorite chapter of the book.

Archie Carter was a big surprise (not really, I already knew he would be here before reading the book), and he is another of my favorite aspects of the book. It's good to see one of the characters from BATDR's human cast ending up being used more in a story. Archie in the game, like other characters we saw in the audio logs in DR, is a "One and done" situation where we only hear from him once and that's it, combined with the fact that he is ultimately just another background character who exists mostly to fill the world and give information that is not necessarily integral to the main things that occur in the game and is more to tell about different things, people and events that were also occurring inside the studio and in the outside world ( those of the lost city and Gent Workshop, essentially) pre-game events. (I really don't know how to explain this properly, but I would say that the "thing" of the information given by the new human cast (with the exception of the Archs) is the same thing as the characters who are giving such information: filling the world. I hope you get the gist of what I'm saying) And while I wouldn't say the information on these tapes is really irrelevant (in Archie's case, he provides some of the most interesting), and in my case, I don't mind the addition of the newbies, I don't blame other people for not being interested, don't get attached to or even dislike these new characters who don't do much in the grand scheme of things in DR and in comparison to the BATIM cast (or at least, the majority of the IM cast). So seeing at least 1 of these newcomers being used more deeply in a story and having their characters expanded is good! And I liked what was done with Archie here. You know the guy who worked at Gent as a test subject and who saw bad things happening at the company? Guess what! Same company screwed up his life and now he's a half-human-half-ink creature guy infected with evil ink and his current situation is not good at all! He's going through horrors unfortunately (especially in the cycle), but I really like what Adrienne did with Archie in this book. Again, he is one of the highlights of this book, and I hope that something similar ends up happening with other DR characters in future stories (manifesting the novel that uses Bill Danton and/or Grace Conway in some capacity 🙌) Plus, I also think it's cool that of all the DR characters to be used, it was the one voiced by SuperHorrorBro who ended up being chosen for this book (I like SHB, what can I say)

Joey (like in the other books) is a standout (and considering what we specifically see of him in this book, he's especially a standout here). More of Allison, even though in the end it's just a small one-scene cameo. Finally, I'm being fed the bread crumbs I craved. And I think now I have another version of Henry to talk about. My collection is growing strong, now I have 3 versions of my favorite old man! Among the new ones, and especially the secondary and tertiary ones, Papa D and Gladys are nice, even though they don't have much time in the story. Oh, and Wilson showed up too. He doesn't do much either, he's just there to be creepy. But I will acknowledge him.

I also enjoyed seeing some of the ideias showcased first in BATDR here (which makes sense, this book came out well after the game finally released). I always found it interesting to see more of Gent in the spotlight, and reading and knowing a little more about the things they were doing after JDS closed is nice. (And I think it's good to see more reaffirmation of what BATDR had already implied. That Gent also had eyes on the Ink Machine even when the studio was still open, and when the studio collapsed, they still continued the ink experiments in their own facilities. Again, this was already something that had been shown in DR, but it's good to see more reaffirmation here) The appearance of the Siverlane Express was something that I really appreciated, even if it was something very short. I ealready talk about Archie in one giant paragraph, and again, Wilson is here too.

There isn't really anything I "disliked" about this book, but at most, I only have a few nitpicks. The Ink Demon appears in the story, but compared to DCTL and TLO, I feel FTB is definitely the book where he appears the least. I mean, yeah, the story isn't about him in the end, but it's still something I managed to notice. I also feel that, in my opinion, this is the least "scary" of the 3. Not that it doesn't have "scary" elements but still, compared to moments in the other books like Buddy in the infirmary, or the TLO trio in the old factory, I don't know if this book would be the most "scary" of the trilogy. However,FTB still has several suspenseful scenes (the Bendy visions, some scenes with Ollie, Archie's pre-introduction, Wilson in the library), which I also like anyway. And I'll admit. While this idea isn't that far out there - and in the context of the story, it makes sense - I kind of raised an eyebrow a little at the whole "using your mind/imagination to get out of the ink realm" thing. It is not bad! And again, with what we saw in the book, this idea actually fits with what we had seen so far in the story. But I can't lie that when we got to this moment I was like "oh, this is something that happened, I guess", you know? But even so, I didn't dislike the idea.

(I once saw someone describe this part of the book as "they canonized no-clipping in Bendy" and you know what? I think that's funny. I think we need to start referring to this idea in the book as that instead of "using the imagination" /hj)

But even so, even with these small "nitpicks", I still had a lot of fun with this book. I really enjoyed reading it, and not only is it now one of my favorite Bendy books so far, I dare say it's one of my favorite things about the franchise in general. Like, if I had to make a top 3 of my favorite things from the Bendy series so far, I'd say it's this book and the first two mainline games. I guess this is to show how much I enjoyed the book!

And with that, my journey with the Bendy books ends. At least, with the books I managed to have access so far. I have no plans to pursue the updated version of the Employee Handbook so far, but from what I've heard and seen so far, I'm not missing anything too important. And the DCTL graphic novel….exists. It's definitely a graphic novel that exists. Dare I say that it is definitely one of the graphic novels of all time, alright. But what have I read so far? It was what I would say, a good journey. I've been interested in the Bendy books for a long time, and it's been a while since I read them, and I'm glad I did, despite recent events. Of course, they have their flaws and problems too, I have things about them that I myself identify as bumps in the road (and that applies to the novel trilogy too btw) But even with them in mind and acknowledging them, I still think that they are worth something. And I hope people still continue to recognize them and give them a chance. Even with its flaws, and with their whole canocity thing that happened a while ago, I still believe that people should check out the books eventually. Give it a chance, you know? If they did, and liked what they read, great! But if they don't like it, that's okay too! In the end, at least they, on both sides, gave it a chance. And that's what I at least want to see. I don't like the idea of ​​discarding these things and pretending they don't exist just because the devs said they aren't canon to the games (because, in my view, just because the books aren't canon doesn't make them without value or that you can't have fun with them after all)

WOW, this is getting long, I think I got carried away. I think that's all I had to say. To conclude everything, here is my list of the Bendy books that I like the most and the ones I like least:

Fade To Black (I've already talked a lot about this book)

Dreams Come To Life (hand in hand with FTB being in first place. It has its flaws, some that may have already been mentioned before, but I still found myself liking it in the end. For a first novel, it worked out fine)

Crack-Up Comics (Really liked the comics. It's good to see more things related to the cartoon characters, and I like some of the characters introduced. Pretty fun stuff)

The Lost Ones (it's not a very "Bendy" focused book compared to the others, and I don't blame those who didn't like this one because of the lack of many Bendy elements, but I confess that I still liked it as much as the other 2, and I loved the protagonists of this one. Even so, of the trilogy, it is the weakest book)

The Illusion of Living (In itself, it's an interesting read. It's really cool to see more of Joey from a deeper angle, and see more of his past. But I confess that it's not my favorite read, and I still prefer the main novels. Not bad, tho)

JDS Employee Handbook (2019) (For the first Bendy book overall, it's not bad, and I like the lore tidbits it has. But compared to the rest, it's actually the weakest)

The TL;DR is: Fade To Black is fun and my favorite, I liked its story and characters. I liked the books. Check them out if you want. If you liked them, cool. If you didn't like them, that's cool too. Read in general.

And if you've read this far: Thank you! And at the same time, I'm sorry! Have a good day/afternoon/night everyone. Peace.

[mad-hunts]

how barton feels after not getting into a single argument/fight with someone for a day (... meanwhile, he's still killing people ☠️)

[angelbaby-fics]

gonna host a summer tea party next week!! hopefully it'll bring a little life back into this blog & my reawaken my passion for writing!!!