#hateful the cerulean

[miraviglioso]

Oh yes here are some photos of my boy! My crowntail betta Hateful the Cerulean. 

[violetta-frogg-drifter]

Every time someone draws Linus Baker without pudge an angel losses its wings

[wearenotjustsadstories]

Somewhere beyond the sea reading update

oh right I forgot when reading the hearing chapter, I hate Rowder ofc but when she pointed out that the new inspector won't be male I actually laughed because I mean she has a point, like, we all thought how stupid EUM was in sending a sad alone gay middle aged man in the first place

[mandrake-arya]

Do we as a community agree on the fact that Linus Baker and Aziraphale are basically the same person or it's just me

[doomslugthedestroyer1]

me reading a straight teen romance book: Huh, I'm not as into love as I used to be. I guess romance isn't my thing anymore

reads a book about a middle aged gay couple: NEVER MIND! GAH THEY'RE SO CUTE JUST KISS ALREADY

[thecourtfinchster]

you ignore?? you ignore major themes and motifs of beloved media?? in favor of your own perception of a few characters? to romanticize a false narrative?? oh! oh! jail for tumblr user! jail for one thousand years!

[ceruleanslob]

controversial opinion but i really don't care much for klavier gavin...

i've just finished dual destinies and since that is his last canon appearance that I'm aware of, I felt like this could be the appropriate time for me to talk about him...

so throughout my enjoyment of Apollo Justice, I noticed that every time I was bored/felt that the pacing was dragging was every time klavier was on screen... idk why that is aside from the fact that compared to every prosecutor we've had thus far, whenever we take the prosecutor down a peg, it never feels satisfying with klavier as he is always somehow able to save face. (I'm comparing it to edgeworth, godot. simon, and franziska where the dialogue between them and phoenix is always interesting and satisfying whenever they interact and counter each other)

with apollo, i don't feel their social chemistry if that makes sense?? klavier feels very hot and cold on his treatment of apollo? sure, he lets apollo and trucy investigate crime scenes and let them take evidence but on the trial itself, whenever klavier insults apollo it always feels extremely mean-spirited?? (granted he did get his brother and best friend sent to jail) but unlike edgeworth and phoenix where they play on an almost equal playing field when it comes to insulting each other, it's not the same for apollo.

throughout the game i noticed that apollo always seemed to look up to klavier? apollo's inner monologue always thinks he's cool and seems to hold klavier's opinion of him rather highly?? which makes me feel kinda sad for him especially when klavier insults him in court since apollo almost-to-never fights back on his insults... (it's very rare that he does)

and i honestly dont like that since throughout the game, I noticed that apollo is extremely kind (compared to phoenix anyway) and sensitive (literally cried when he thought trucy was kidnapped/hurt, this was when they just met!) so when he gets poorly treated like that, it really makes me sad and confused...

and im mainly confused because of the fanworks that depict apollo and klavier have a stern-and-sunshine type of dynamic when in the game they really arent?? so far from what I've seen in the game, it's more apollo admiring klavier quietly to himself, with klavier being a bit snobbish but can sometimes be nice to apollo type of deal..

and that makes me feel kinda disappointed since I appreciate fanon klapollo more than the canon one so far... i really wanted to like klavier more but I'm really not sold on his portrayal in canon compared to the fanon version that the fandom gave me...

however the playthrough i watched was the older version of the game and not the remastered one so maybe klavier is much nicer there??? idk hope this analysis thing makes sense...

but to those who actually played the game, what are your thoughts???

[cowardishh]

I love old gay people so much

[ceruleanandroid]

had like a couple drinks today but nothing better than some vodka with lime soda

[koopzilla]

@cerulean-volcano​ cont.

It is an enchanting display. The blue fires, despite their ferocity, are calming in comparison to Bowser's harsh and heavy reds.

The bars disintegrate into smoldering goop. It is all the king needed to see! Reaching down, he grappled the next row of bars and pushed them outward as if they were made of plastic, turning the hole in the cage into a true exit.

Minions do not approve! All three rushed to their master's heels, flocking behind the beast as if he were their shield. The koopa that suggested kicking is the furthest in the back.

Pointer and thumb become the chain of a leash, one which hooked itself into the Typholsion's collar and pulled him from his cage. "I like it! I'll keep you." No dungeon, but the way Bowser said it... insinuates he is not done with the Pokémon. "From now you, you work for me! I say flamethrower, you say how long! Got it!?"

[sharry-arry-odd]

"Hate is loud, but I think you'll learn it's because it's only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard."

The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune

[xserpx]

L&L was definitely the most disappointing book(s, bc I also read the sequel) I read this year for sure. I've only read House by the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, and maybe some won't class that as cosy fantasy, but I feel like that book captures what I want from cosy fantasy far more than L&L did. I like the way it's in dialogue with catharsis, and isn't afraid to drive the characters emotionally. Ultimately, I don't think it makes sense to link cosiness with low stakes. The subject can be low stakes - starting a coffee shop or looking after kids rather than fighting monsters and saving the world - but emotionally the stakes can go pretty high I think. Sometimes cosiness is something you really have to fight to achieve, and the sense of being cosy at the end of a hard day can be incredibly meaningful. It's about people existing as they are, finding solace, identity, hope, certainty and love without needing to be fixed first.

Cozy Fantasy and Why It Doesn't Work

I think I am among many who feel like they should love cozy fantasy and have found it an incredibly lacking genre.

This newly branded "cozy fantasy" genre that has taken readers by storm since 2020 and while it is new that books are now marketed as cozy, the genre itself isn't new. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is a great example of the genre before it was labeled and also how to make it work.

Cozy fantasy is defined by many as fantasy with low stakes. Fantasy aesthetic but less sword fights. On paper, it sounds great. But the execution has been less than stellar for readers like me. The lack of physical stakes has also impacted the emotional stakes of these books, creating forgettable characters with boring problems. As a romance reader, I find this frustrating. Romance is known for being a predictable and formulaic genre, the now defunct Romance Writers of America defined romances as needing happy endings, a term romances have continued to follow. Yet these romance texts manage to have low physical stakes (how to date your neighbor, how to confront your toxic friends, etc) while still maintaining high personal stakes that keep readers invested and begging for more. So I was initially confused why cozy fantasy authors struggle to write texts that connect to readers like me.

I think I have found the answer which is the genre is just here for vibes. It is all about aesthetic, not even worldbuilding that fantasy is known for as most cozy fantasy I read have so many problems as soon as you ask one question. It is hard to acknowledge that a genre that is pitched to work for readers like me doesn't work for many of us. Especially because occasionally there is one that works beautifully to my taste.

I often say my favorite cozy fantasies that are more contemporary are short and visual, which I plays into the idea of the genre being an aesthetic. The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz is a good example because it is a simple story that is given the perfect amount of pages and gorgeous visuals without dragging on when the message is very clear and easy to understand. Books like The Phoenix Keeper and Legends and Lattes have absolutely nothing for me, their very clear message hitting the reader over and over so the readers don't miss it and focusing on the aesthetic of worldbuilding rather than the reality of the fantastic elements within the world.

I guess my point is. . . I realize this genre isn't for me since I have realized it is more of an aesthetic than anything. .. .but I want it to be. Should I let it go and put my efforts elsewhere? Or should I keep exploring this new trend and find the hidden gems?

[a-perfect-imitation]

class ends in 10 minutes and some people JUST GOT HERE

[voidclawing]

☸ — born to trade, forced to grind

[guns-blazing]

"the three save slots in deltarune represent the three entities: the player, kris, and the third one" wow thats crazy! and the three save slots in undertale must represent the player, chara, and frHey wait a second