#haunting that narrative af

[ribcracker]

if i had a bathtub i would be insufferable i’d be wearing white nightgowns and moaning in the corners of the house 24/7

[respectthepetty]

Reading the (Visual) Rainbow Awards 2024

2023 was the first time I gave these awards, so I'm excited to deliver my 2024 version to the QLs that gave the best visual narratives this past year. In order to be considered for these awards, the series 1) had to air during 2024, and 2) had to finish airing by December 31, so out of the 114 QLs I watched this year, 13 are still ongoing and cannot be considered for these awards. Out of the remaining 94 QLs, 69 had some degree of consistent color coding

*For reference, in 2023, I watched 108 QLs, 14 were still ongoing, and 67 had consistent color coding.

Now for the ceremony to begin!

Petty Award: Last Twilight, Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo, and Spare Me Your Mercy

This award goes to a show or shows that had great visual narratives but I refuse to write about it because I'm petty, and these shows know what they did to me!

I've aired my grievances with these shows plenty, so now they can officially join last year's winners, Only Friends and I Feel You Linger in the Air, plus several other series in my Grudge Garden. May beauty bloom from the cruel love you gave me.

Stats Awards [These awards are based solely on numbers]

Most Popular: Black Brooder

This award goes to the color that was most popular in a pair, number-wise.

The stats: A Black Brooder was part of a color-coded pair 27 times in 2024. 2023’s was a Blue Boy with 26. The next color-coded boy in 2024 was a Blue Boy who was part of 21 pairs. 2023's was a Black Brooder who was part of 15 pairs.

The Best Black Brooder was Happy of the End’s Haoran. The show explicitly stated he was mysterious, secretive, and seductive which are all key characteristics of a Black Brooder. He had a dark past that haunted him and the narrative the entire show, so the black color appropriately emphasized the darkness within him. Even at the very end, he was lighter in his life, but it did not take away from what he went through to get that little bit of happiness and color. Haoran is the epitome of a Black Brooder, and that’s why he deserves the title of "Best Color-Coded Character of the Year."

Most Popular Pair: Light x Dark

This award goes to the color-coded pair who were used the most in the year, number-wise.

The stats: The Black x White dynamic won in 2023 with 12 couples, but in 2024 this dynamic almost doubled by being used 22 times. No other color-coded pair came close.

The Best Light x Dark Couple: Myung Ha x Yeo Woon from Love for Love’s Sake perfectly represent why this dynamic is needed, yet it wasn’t clear why until midway through the series. Black Brooder Myung Ha was sent into a game to save Heavenly Human Yeo Woon, but as the story unfolded, we realized that Myung Ha was the one who needed to be saved by his Heavenly Human and for a very good reason which adds to his dark color. The colors were there the entire time, yet the reveal of why those were the colors still shocks me almost a year later.

The Outlier: Wandee Goodday

This award goes to a series that delivered a colored-coded pair that no other series did.

When this show was first announced, I was elated that I was getting a Yellow Yal x Purple Person pairing which had yet to be done, and my excitement only grew throughout its airing. Even though I didn’t get the proper color exchange I dreamed of at the end, the show had outstanding visual rhetoric (bunny x tiger, anyone?), and it gave me a pair comprised of complementary colors, so it deserves this award for doing something different, and doing it well.

Visual Rhetoric Awards

Honorable Mention - Peaceful Property

This award goes to a series that had a great visual narrative but could not be considered for these awards because it wasn't marketed as a QL (even though it's canon to me).

The show’s “Cok Long” sign alone would have received a visual rhetoric award, but the characters were also color coded and gay af. The dance pose for love. The steak in the shape of a heart. The food in general! Home dreaming of Peach in bed to comfort him. The tears and strings in the hospital tying them together. The stories about Thansai x Ride and Vicha x Phoom!!!! The color exchanges! This show used all the visuals to bury the lead, literally and figuratively, and dealt with people facing the ghosts who haunt them in an unexpected and tender way, so it was a show with a lot of heart and the visuals to back it up.  

Best Boundary/Barrier/Bars - My Stand-In

This award goes to a series that best displayed an internal conflict with a physical barrier between the two leads.

This show’s visual rhetoric skills were vicious. I was personally attacked every time Joe’s back was only shown. I was shaking in rage each time Joe and Ming were shown behind bars, with barriers between them, and with Joe being lower than Ming. But nothing hurt more than when Joe 2.0 finally gave into Ming, and we visually saw Joe’s body split in two. Previous to that moment, they were each standing on opposite sides of the line, then slowly, Ming pushed Joe against the glass leaving Joe exposed to the world, so he could focus on Joe’s back, and the line was right there to show us that nobody was fully in that moment. They were both in their bodies, yet out of them. They were in the present, but also in the past. They wanted this, and simultaneously were disgusted. They were conflicted, and that line cut right through them. And me.

Best Balance - Jack & Joker

This award goes to a series that best used the scene to outline the balanced dynamic between the leads.

In a hospital room, standing in between the light and dark curtains, next to the red couch and the blue bed, two color-coded boys hashed it out and showed the audience why balance is always needed in a relationship. Jack became darker because he shouldered everyone’s burdens, yet there was Joke begging Jack to let him carry some of his sorrow and relieve him of his darkness. Then, the black and white colors and those dual smiling/frowning faces were right there to reinforce what Joke was saying — We need Yin & War Yang.

Best Background (Noise) - Marahuyo Project

This award goes to a series that best used the background details to strongly reinforce the ongoing plot.

It was a story about sea creatures that beautifully connected to the overall queer theme of the story, and King (of the sea) wore several sea-themed items. The show also focused on trans acceptance and solidarity with all characters wearing the trans flag colors at one point in the show, and the use of butterflies to signify the harsh yet necessary transformation we must experience to become better versions of ourselves. Oh, and the religious icons! Basically, this show did not waste one moment of its screen time, and it’s a feast for the eyes because of it.

Best Use of Clothing - 7 Days Before Valentine

This award goes to the series that made the best use of clothing to show the evolving dynamic between the leads.

Sun, the main character, was 🎶The Worst🎶 when this story began. The show looked the audience in the face and said that man was the devil with his horns and black and red outfits. Then, an actual demon showed up, in white! After that, this demon took on more of Sun’s darkness as an act of salvation while the demon’s clothing transitioned from white to gray then black. In the end, the demon was actually an angel who needed to see that redemption was possible for his own sake. It was a story about how nobody is really good or bad and how people deserve a second chance, which was a consistent theme in most QLs this year, and beautifully highlighted in this show.

Colors Awards

Best Color Exchange - My Love Mix-Up (Thailand)

This award goes to a series where the leads were color coded and switching their colors demonstrated more than their love being mutual.

The original Japanese version of this show is one of the best color-coded BLs and features the best color exchange EVER in the form of a well-lit kiss, so I was watching the Thai version with a critical eye. The Thai show had the pink = love moments and other subtle visual rhetoric, plus it included the traditional color merge of Kongthap’s blue with Atom’s developing yellow into green which they both wore for their first kiss. The show was following all the normal steps, but at the very last moment, after the boys decided their love was worth the fight and came out to their parents in teary confessions, they met in the place it all began merging Kongthap’s blue and Atom’s strong orange into a couple’s brown and kissed, and I have never been happier seeing the color brown as a symbol of love.

Best Kiss - Only Boo!

This award goes to the series that best used a kiss to support the color narrative of the story.

This show had no competition in this category. Its only competition was itself. Every kiss either was color-coded, included the Blinding Light of Love, created a color exchange, formed a color merge, or was lit with the Pink = Love lighting. Every. Single. Kiss! So this award isn’t for just one kiss, but all the kisses in the series, but the grand kiss in the finale had the boys in their respective colors, kissing under a pink light, while their colors were part of the background decorations as everyone cheered around them, and It. Healed. Me.

Best Red (Thread of Destiny) - Unknown

This award goes to the series that best used the color red to symbolize two characters being connected by fate.

Century of Love, a story of lovers meeting again a century after tragically parting, gave Unknown good competition in this category, but ultimately the story of two kids finding family in each other and building a life together is the winner, and it’s all because of that damn red railing! The red was there when Qian fed Yuan on the street, and the moment Qian wrapped Yuan’s hands in the red boxing tape, he secured the bond between them. However, the scene where Yuan stood at the bottom of the stairs before leaving the house felt like the connection was severed as he walked out the door leaving a dark room behind only for the camera to slowly move up the red railing to reveal Qian standing at the top of the stairs looking at Yuan’s room. They were still connected, and I’m still emotional about it.

Best Pink - Bad Guy, My Boss

This award goes to the series that best used the color pink to demonstrate the love between two characters.

This was the most competitive category in 2024, and Deep Night with its pink poly dream held the top spot for most of the year until this ridiculous Wattpad BL entered the group chat and crushed everyone with this single shot. In the show, Run was basically being manipulated into a relationship with Fei Long for ~evil reasons~ that included an incarcerated brother, a ploy to gain more power, and an ex-boyfriend, yet the pink kept showing up around Run until it surrounded both of them. And it was the softest pink. It was slightly surprising that they did both genuinely love each despite the circumstances, but it was even more shocking just how kind that love actually was. They might have been crazy for that, but they were also crazy in love!

Best Rainbow - 1,000 Years Old

This award goes to the series with the best use of a rainbow.

Pun was a dark-color coded vampire, and Yo was the colorful human he fell in love with, yet Yo thought that Pun brought color to his life. Before Pun showed up, Yo was lost in the world chasing aliens with his friends, but once Yo encountered Pun at a pork blood soup stand, both their lives became filled with adventures that were revealed to be centuries in the making, and Pun’s rainbow umbrella symbolized the whimsical nature of their relationship. Both brought color to the other’s life. In every life.

Best Heart - 4 Minutes

This award goes to a series that best represented love by using a tangible item to symbolize a heart.

Color-coded boys in love deserve color-coded plushies to represent their love. Great was white-color coded, and Tyme was black-color coded, so when they went on their adorable arcade date, the color-coded cat plushies with hearts on their sides were the perfect prize to celebrate the guys’ developing feelings for each other. However, the date never really happened and instead was part of Great’s redo timeline as his heart was dying after being shot. And somehow, that made it even better! In his last moments, all Great wanted was for Tyme to keep winning his heart over and over again, and Great would have given it to him, again and again. In another life, he’d enjoy just playing a claw game with Tyme.

Best Accessory - Addicted Heroin (Thailand)

This award goes to a series that best used a color-coded accessory to support the ongoing plot.

Everything in this show was color coded from the cotton swabs to the nail clippers, but the series wins this award for The Audacity™. In any version of this story, Hero’s character is going to be batshit bananas, but in the Thai remake, the show decided to include color coding in the craziness. When Hero had Pop(py) kidnapped, Hero tied him up with color-coded green rope because even as Hero had taken his boyfriend hostage in the dumbest turn of event, he needed to prove he knew Pop’s color was green. But not only did Hero do that in the show, the folks behind the show, who seemed determined to be wilder than the show itself, started selling figurines of the moment! It’s meta, but like really bad, which means I LOVE IT!

Best Blinding Light (of Love) - Deep Night

This award goes to the series that best used a blinding light to emphasize the overwhelming feeling of being in love.

Deep Night had several amazing moments using the Blinding Light of Love, but Wela and Khem had liked each other since the first episode, so this moment visually presented what it felt like for them to realize it actually might be something more. They were nestled between the pink of the club lights with the window bathing them in the streetlight; then, the light from outside became blinding as Khem admitted to being jealous and wanting to be something more with Wela. It truly was the point Khem realized he was deeper than he thought, and for Wela to see that his feelings were real. It was a moment of lustful escape that turned into a moment of genuine love.

Best Lighting - The On1y One

This award goes to the series that best used lighting to support the story's narrative.

Using dark, cool lighting for the moon and bright, warm lighting for the sun are not new techniques, but the way The On1y One used those lighting treatments for its characters was a reminder that the professionals behind the scenes are truly experts in their field. In the first episode, Jiang Tian, the moon, emerged from the darkness of the street, and the warmth of Sheng Wang’s light cupped his face as he stood outside the gate. As they interacted, each retained their respective lighting, but slowly, slivers of the other’s lighting began to merge with their own until the audience could no longer tell where their individual light ended and the other’s began. And neither could the boys.

Best Cinematographer: Jim Picharn - I Saw You in My Dream, Jack & Joker

This award goes to the cinematographer who best supported the story through visuals without distracting from the ongoing plot.

In 2023, Jim of Dee Hup House was on the shortlist for this award due to him being the cinematographer for Thai BLs Step by Step, Hidden Agenda, and I Feel You Linger in the Air, and in 2024, he was back with I Saw You in My Dream and Jack & Joker. The reason he is getting this award now is because both his 2024 offerings looked completely different. Jim has a certain hazy and dreamy style to his cinematography which fit perfectly in I Saw You in My Dream’s narrative, but his style shifted to something harsher and a little bit grittier in Jack & Joker. There were still specific Jim elements in both pieces, but it was clearer how his style served the narratives in each story differently. Not only was it interesting to see, but it was also a beautiful addition to the stories being told in both shows, so I’m looking forward to what new visuals he will be gifting us with in 2025.

Best Surprise - The Trainee

This award serves as a catch-all for a series that delivered a color-coded surprise while still incorporating it well within the plot.

I am not egoistical enough to believe the folks behind these QLs are reading my little ol’ Tumblr blog, but I’m also not humble enough to rule it out as a possibility. Normally, I have to watch behind-the-scene specials, find translated interviews, or follow cinematographers’ and directors’ social media to get confirmation about colors, but in 2024, several shows simply posted the information on main! Two Worlds, Love is a Poison, Peaceful Property, and a few other shows openly stated how the colors were being used in the show, but The Trainee did the most and made graphics to announce the color coding of its characters and posted them on Twitter and Instagram! The graphics also featured key aspects of the characters’ personalities which aligned to their color. For eight weeks, I had been determined to prove that Jane was a loyal Blue Boy and Tae was a wise Brown Boy, and, magically, the show just looked at me one day and said I was right. I will never forget that rush, so in case someone who does work behind the scenes on these QL is reading my posts, thanks for the best present 2024 could have given me!

Best Group Effort - Pit Babe

This award goes to the series that best color coded a majority of its characters.

I watched this show with no sound, no subtitles, and no idea what the hell was happening. And yet the colors got me through! I might not have any clue who is the Alpha, Beta, or Santa Maria in this show, but I know who is red, blue, and royally evil because the colors were coloring the entire time! I cannot write more about this show because I still don’t really understand what it was about, but I am super excited to watch the second season the same exact way I watched the first — with the colors guiding me the whole way.

Best Consistent Color Coding - Chaser Game W

This award goes to the series that had the most consistent color coding throughout its run.

Two celestial maidens in a video game. Two penguins in a book. Two women in a toxic workplace romance. No matter what form the leads took in the show, they were color-coded in every version of their characters. They were part of the reason the Light x Dark pairing was the most popular in 2024, and in the first season, they exemplified that dynamic with kind Heavenly Human Itsuki being stuck working for her demanding Black Brooder ex-girlfriend Fuyu. Then, the second season gave us the women swapping clothes and colors as they became a more established couple. Even their daughter took part in the color-coded hijinks, and in the end, Itsuki and Fuyu found the balance in their work and their love life, together.  

Best Overall - Idol Factory

This award goes to the series that did it like nobody else to claim the ultimate prize.

I refuse to pit two bad bitches against each other, so that’s why both The Sign and The Loyal Pin get this award. And I’ll even throw the Factory’s third offering, My Marvellous Dream is You, into the mix because regardless of which show I write this about, Idol Factory gave me rainbows of colors every single time!

I didn’t just get the pink = 💕love💕lighting. I got the pink lighting getting more intense as the love between the two characters intensified.

I didn’t just get color-coded clothing. I got the patterns of the clothing showing each character’s personality, so when they started to swap patterns, it was obvious they were in love.

I didn’t just get color exchanges. I got color events with blinding lights of love, color exchanges, and color merges.

Basically, I got everything I wanted and more, so even though Idol Factory has only produced five shows, all of them have excelled in the colors and visual rhetoric department, and I’ll be patiently waiting for its 2025 (and 2026) shows to air because I know they will be visually stunning, as always.

Congrats, winners!

[you-wanna-save-the-corn-nuts]

!!yellowjackets s3 spoilers!!

akilah is so fucked. shes....mega fucked. akilah survivor supporters i am sorry shes dead af. not only is the 8th survivor already most likely melissa: akilah ate in her dream- which adds to the "if they eat they die" theory. and i have to add, jackies snapband- it doesnt hurt jackie. but it does hurt van and shauna- both characters who SURVIVE- i would also like to add that jackie puts the snapband on shauna which probably represents that hey, shauna survived BECAUSE of jackie. she survived because she presented eating jackie. she got haunted-by-the-narrative-dragged-into-survival VIA JACKIE- but anyways. yk who else that snapband doesnt hurt? akilah..... just saying.........shes cooked. also she has the pink cons and uhm. we know akilah isnt wearing them for the pitgirl scene.

[president-and-godemperor-forlife]

I need people to stop doing a disservice to Solas character by saying the real Solas is the one we meet in Inquisition.

No.

He is BOTH. Solas is ruthless and singleminded in his cause. He uses and murders people if he thinks it will advance it or if he perceives some type of betrayal. He murdered Felassan before Inquisition, he kills Varric, he lies and gives you half-truths the entire time both in Inquisition and Veilguard, and violates Rooks mind with blood magic. He’s remorseful but unwilling to stop. He’s prideful af. But he is also curious, and wants to advise and give wisdom. He’s lonely, and loves the fade and can be thoughtful and willing to teach. He’s funny. He is both the face that he shows Rook and the face he shows the Inquisition. It’s what makes him a great and complex character and one of my favorites. Reducing him down to “the real Solas is the one in inquisition” is a huge disservice. He is also exactly as he presents himself to Rook. Stop woobyfing his ass. He’s a character that has made a lot of mistakes with a ruthless streak more than a couple of thousand years long and counting. Felassan is not haunting this narrative for some of you all to say this.

[toytle]

Do you have any thoughts on halbarryollie?

boy do i!

the holliebarry (as i like to call it) community is a small world, i don’t rly post abt them but ​i actually ended up accidentally talking w the author of my fav holliebarry fic! for a ship w 16 fics total on ao3 (criminal btw), trisolar system felt so catered to me that i could’ve commissioned it haha

it’s got all my fav things:

haunting of the narrative

dynamic born out of forced proximity

my fav polyamory trope of all time: 2 characters that are not close w each other (for whatever reason, to whatever degree) but are bonded by a mutual friend/partner who is just so eager to have their 2 favorite ppl get along despite already having them both to themself

and most importantly, the exploration/deconstruction of ollie and barry’s dynamic (underrated af). hal is obviously the center of holliebarry, but i’m surprised by how neglected olivarry is by fans, both irt hal AND solo (not counting cw). imagine my surprise when the fic was mainly a relationship study between ollie and barry!

i rly need to leave a comment, but i think i chatted off roboticnebula’s ear in our dms already lol. i’ll make use of those messages in a more polished review one day!

(i have more thoughts beyond the fic i promise, but i feel a little out of my depth when it comes to halollie/olivarry compared to halbarry, so i’m in my listening and learning era. trust that i’ve been taking notes tho ☝️)

[heraldofcrow]

how about 7 and... 8... for them...

THE 8 BALLS AKDJD

8, please…I’m so sorry for the wait, this was RIDICULOUS OF ME AND I SHOULD BE SHOT BY THE FIRING SQUAD!

But first let me answer 7 and 8 for each of these blorbos

~

Aerith

7. Does the character’s age matter to you?

A little bit. Only because she’s around my own age and I really love characters in their 20s these days instead of teen characters, if we’re talking about younger demographics only. Yeah, it’s probably because I’m in my dreaded 20s and I am relating to my peers in media, but for Aerith specifically, I like how she’s a perfect cross between strong maturity and a goofy, childlike spirit. She matches her age well.

It also matters because her death is twice as tragic when we know she had her whole life ahead of her and was only just starting to figure it out :(

8. Does the character’s looks/design matter to you?

I have to admit, yes. Very much. I love Aerith’s design so much. Her hair (her bangs!!!) and eyes just scream EARTH and a daughter of earth. The vivid green and soft brown. She’s like a wood nymph.

And then her clothes, with the pink and red + flower necklace…I dunno, she has both a classic girly look but mixed with some cool style. Flowery with an edge, just like her. To me that all matches with her character, so it does matter to me!

~

Cloud

7. Does the character’s age matter to you?

I think Cloud’s age is important because 21 was widely considered the age of maturity/adulthood in parts of the world, and Cloud’s entire story in FF7 is finding himself, his real identity, and coming into that state of maturity and individuality after a period of uncertainty and fracture. I think there’s a symbolic significance to that, so his age does matter in that sense.

He’s also just a relatable af twenty-something-year-old.

8. Does the character’s looks/design matter to you?

Hmm. With Cloud, I definitely like his classic spiked hair lol. And his design is iconic, of course. He’s our amgery chocobo swordsman.

Other than his basic looks, I love the buster sword on him because it gives him the Guts/Berserk vibe. I’m not a huge fan of the classic blue SOLDIER uniform though, but if anyone can pull it off, Cloudy can. I admittedly don’t have super strong opinions on his looks otherwise, but that’s not a bad thing for me! He’s just…HIM.

~

Sephiroth

7. Does the character’s age matter to you?

Fuck yes. Because I want to know it for real. Or not, because that keeps the significance of NOT knowing it alive and well, as the gods intended.

I can’t decide. It really matters to me though. It plagues my mind. The fourth-wall break in all the guidebooks where they’re like, “Oh uwu, we don’t know any of his personal details, not even his age or birthplace teehee 👉👈” is infuriating and yet effective. It makes Shinra feel real.

Of course Shinra couldn’t reveal his age. They sent him to war at *checks timeline notes* what was probably 13-14, and then conveniently permitted that to be the general recruitment age.

Hell, that ain’t legal. Oh wait. It IS if you don’t let the public know. I hate it and love it.

He’s probably 14 in First Soldier, 25 at Nibelheim and 30 in the main story, but not knowing for sure because of deliberate obscurity in the narrative just…haunts the soul….

8. Does the character’s looks/design matter to you?

Yeah. Every detail. His stupid gothy, stylish uniform makes me think too hard about its significance when there probably isn’t much outside of Nomura being Nomura. Seph’s hair is extremely important to be for so many reasons. His eyes are their own story. Every detail on his face, every flaw and blemish I can find in his rendering…I love. His build, his posture, and mannerisms. His voice. His sound, his presence.

His ridiculous 80 mile long sword, his wing and the feathers…the BLACK FEATHERS. His ascended, reborn form, his biblically accurate angel form, his MOST BELOVED SMOL FORM!

I’m gonna cr—okay sorry I’ll shut up <3

[youbutstupid]

“You better not be haunting the narrative when I get back”

Me af:

[fruitsofhell]

Lowkey been really fucking obsessed with the Fazbear Toddler Fun analog horror series for days now and I hate it cause it is utterly phenomenal in ways that just look goofy af to anyone who isn't incredibly in tune both with authentic recreation of niche video game visual tropes and the narrative significance of the Five Night's at Fredsy's chronology.

The final sequence of the last episode has unparalleled levels of attention to detail in replicating every ounce of old edutainment game tomfoolery, and to top it off it does not even stumble for a second in using that to tear the game's in-universe existence and the protagonist apart.

Cause its not just the period accuracy of IRL video games but the timeline of in-universe Freddy's locations and rebrands. Like it's actually a choice that the characters are based around the FNAF2 location cast, just with Foxy as well likely cause he was so iconic and The Mangle (adorably adapted as "Funtime", Foxy's little sister) wouldn't cut it. You can actually assume this is a late 90s game in context of being after the brands peak in the 80s, or honestly if you're weird like me you always got a very 90s vibe from the Toy Animatronics and assume this game was in tandem with THAT rebrand. OK OK BUT EIRHER WAY. The game as a vapid attempt at a rebrand borrows its cues from the most dramatic and vapid canon rebrand, and it makes every call back to the original tragedy sting so much more.

FNAF2's location has always been one of the furthest away from the Bite of '83 and original MCI, with the FNAF1 location existing more directly in its shadow cause it's where the story was first told even if it's ironically furthest from it. The sort of grunge and shoddiness that defines the atmosphere of the other tragedies is not present there, and its abysmally short run (canonically was only open for weeks as every other returant was assumedly for years) gives it a certain innocence and purity to it. The Toy Animatronics did not have the time to accumulate that physical and metaphorical rot which pervades the brand through the felt animatronics. They were literally retired and revived to carry the legacy of that pain, but the Toys were a genuine - and short-lived - attempt to almost fully separate.

But this all to fucking say - when the ghost of the crying child uses the games stupid little movie maker to tell the story of his death, and when he snaps the misshapen model of Fredbear atop the shiny new Toy Freddy on that stage... it's fr. It's so fr. It's so "how dare you think you can escape..." how dare you think you can run from that past while tracking prints - while not truly letting go.

It gets SO WELL at that angle of corporate whitewashing and greed that is the ONE THEME in FNAF, to the point I can (almost) forgive it for its demonization if Michael. Because he ties into it to. Oh you think it's just cute and a little messed up that they tried to overwrite the tragedy of my death? You think it's just a spooky little game to come back here, to this complete mockery and erasure of my pain? The way that you said you were sorry but I knew you never were? Like fucking christ man.

The magic of obtuse storytelling methods is how they can thread together odd symbolism and ideas into a story in a way something straightforward cannot. Stories of haunting are fascinating because it allows for the expression of harsh and terrible emotions through manipulation of symbols, and I love when internet horror takes that to the umpteenth level in the found footage/found game subgenre by twisting those symbols of the truly light and unassuming in media even when it's goofy af.

When you're dealing with death of children at a bootleg Chuck E Cheese you're most realistically going to get a Chuck E Cheese style haunting, but the point is to embrace that. Find the perversity of something that is supposed to be so light and childish being forced to bare a heavy, meaningful pain. For a model of a crusty dancing bear in a CG point and click game to be the most chilling graphic imaginable.

[sixtysixproblems]

i hate avengers assemble sm because it was the reason a different more beloved show (that was objectively much better ive heard) got cancelled and also is goofy and corny af. however it also decided "hey lets have stellar voice acting right next to the clunky animation, and also make some of the most lovable/complex characters & relationships in visual marvel media and then make them say some of the most cringe dialogue known to man."

and as a consequence it has haunted my narrative since i was like 12 and i have a wild crash out about it roughly every three months.

like every remotely important relationship is so much better than 90% of the mcu's nonsense, the avengers actually feel like a team who deeply care about eachother instead of a few guys who reunite every 4 years and fight about it, and i have like 10 different conspiracy theories about the subtext but its also Peak Pg7 Corny Nonsense. Kill me. its also 100% a fanfiction bc they all live in the tower, hawkeye steals hulk's peanut butter, and steve & tony are somehow even gayer than mcu stucky. its so awful someone shoot me already

[ww2yaoi]

bob and gene's dead poets society immediately stood out to me ... sledgeleckie?👀

just answered an ask about this one explaining a bit about it but YES it's sledge/leckie but sid haunts the narrative of course <3

here's another snippet:

After a while, Eugene turns onto his side to face the empty upturned C-ration crate beside his bed. The book he borrowed from Leckie’s library roosts on the edge, untouched since Eugene set it down there last night. His eyes trace the dull black lettering on the spine. He’s been reluctant to open it, as if doing so will make him relive the hot-eared embarrassment he felt around Leckie last night. He looks at it a moment before grabbing it off the crate. Thankfully, the book still feels comforting in his hands. His fingertips find all the bumps and creases along its old linen cover like knots in a tree. The spine seems to creak as Eugene opens it, as if the bindings are rusted from age. In neat cursive, the top left corner of the inside cover reads: To Bob, This one oughta woo the gals. John Christmas ‘38 Then, written in the adjacent corner in scratchy printing: This book belongs to Robert H. Leckie. If lost, return to 146 Carmita Ave. Rutherford, NJ Eugene runs his thumb over Leckie’s old address, feeling the depression the pen made in the paper however many Christmases ago. Eugene has never been to New Jersey, but he feels an odd longing for it now. Probably because it would be closer to home than here.

gay af to yearn for new jersey. dick winters can testify

thanks!!

[ghost-bison]

I finished watching Clara's run and surprisingly enough.... I like her?? Like I mean, after Amy my standards were pretty low (I don't even wanna talk about her), but Clara isn't half bad??

I feel like a lot of us think we have a problem with HER, but actually it's her story that sucks arse.

Most of the things she did were circumstantial.

Saving the Doctor's every incarnation and telling him to borrow THIS TARDIS and not any other? She was just doing what any companion would have done: sacrificing herself to save the Doctor because without him the Universe would fall apart.

Instilling one of the Doctor's core beliefs into his brain when he was a kid (fear is a superpower)? She was just showing compassion to the loneliest child on Gallifrey, her best friend. Any companion would have done that.

What bothers me, though, isn't her personality or the fact that she chose to do those things. It's the fact that she conveniently found herself in so many of those situations just so Moffat could say LOOK AT HER. SHE'S LITERALLY SO IMPORTANT. LOOK AT HOW IMPORTANT SHE IS. SHE'S THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD. LOOK AT WHAT THE DOCTOR WAS READY TO DO FOR HER JUST BECAUSE SHE'S SO IMPORTANT

Like alright, alright, stfu. It's cringe.

Were you just too lazy to cast another companion and be done with her? So the world had to revolve around her because you literally can't do anything else? At least four times? Is that what you're tryna tell us? -> Moffat might be incredible when it comes to writing plots, but his characters just ain't it.

To come back to Clara, I didn't get why people kept comparing her arc to Donna's right until the end: when they had to choose between her forgetting him and him forgetting her.

At first I wasn't mad about it cause the Doctor was ok with it being 50/50, either him or her. Cause he didn't leave a choice to Donna when she begged him not to (and Donna knew it was either that or death). So I was like, oh, ok, character growth, he's kinda sorta asking for permission. And they use the little device thingy and the Doctor forgets. It was 50/50

But THEN I saw Bill's first episode. I reach the end, and there's this scene where he's like "Come here I need to show you something" and he's about to press his hands to her temples and you get war flashbacks of when he did it to Donna cause it was literally THE SAME THING.

And then what? They put the fucking Clara theme song. What the hell man. It wasn't JUST about her. It just wasn't.

There shouldn't have been music at all in this scene. You should be able to watch it without being like "the Doctor is only thinking about Clara" WHOM HE DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER.

You should be able to think "he remembers what he did to Donna, Bill calls him out cause she got the chance to, proving to him that it's wrong, and the Doctor doesn't remember when or why he already understood it was wrong."

They just forced that character into our brains so hard, with a fkn trowel, and that, my dudes, is the real reason why a lot of people don't like Clara.

Cause Moffat tried to pull both a Rose and a Donna (haunts the narrative/most important woman in the Universe) and it was cringe af.

[nayatarot777]

karma for your abusive father

• pile one •

cards:

inner child

faceless ghosts and the haunted girl - “ghost people”

athame - boundaries

sundress - “do it for you”

fragmentation

eistibus- “angel of divination”

the first thing that i’m seeing is that his inner child wounds will be deeply triggered - especially any abandonment wounds that he may have. he seems very selfish and he’s leading himself down the path of being completely alone. many people will put up boundaries with him, and he’s going to be haunted by the past. he’s losing connections with people who could’ve been of extreme help and value to him. but his selfishness is what will push everyone away. he’s going to suffer from either mental health issues or maybe even spiritual damage. he could be getting spiritually attacked by someone, and this is deeply effecting his psyche. if you have put any spell-work on him, it’s working. spiritually and mentally, he’s definitely going to be fragmented. i’m seeing major depression. he’s going to have to know that you’re living life completely for yourself without the need for any help from him. any boundaries that you put up with him is going to really bother him too. you could have siblings who also cut him off, and he’s going to be followed by all of his fuck ups and mistakes when having to think about this. he’s plagued with peter pan syndrome. never wanting to actually grow up and mature. being a child in an adult’s body while being a mess of a person at the same time. his karma is mainly you protecting yourself from him as well as many others. this is what’s leading him to his loneliness where he has to sit alone with his thoughts that he can’t run away from. he’s going to have to see you live life in the way that you want to and lead yourself to accepting yourself radically and relentlessly - something that he has never done for himself. which is probably why he tries to tear down anyone’s self esteem that he can. but he’s going to be left as the lonely, broken person that he tried to harm other people into being. he’s not going to feel any type of happiness or fulfilment. at all. aries energy is prevalent here.

if you’d like a private reading, then please check out my pinned post 💖

• pile two •

cards:

home

library - “take control of your own narrative”

atonement

strange valentine - love is strange!

hearth - homecoming

raziel - angel of mysteries

your father is going to really have to pay for whatever he’s done. he’s manipulative. constantly trying to lie and change the narrative of a story. particularly regarding with what happened within the home or your childhood home. he’s going to have to face major judgement for this. there’s a point where he can no longer lie, and i’m seeing him face a lot of backlash from others - maybe extended family. whatever secrets that he’s keeping is coming to the frontline. if your father is weird af in his relationships - like dating much younger women, or teenage girls, then i feel like this is something that is kept quite hidden. there’s a repetition of the home as a topic in his karma. if he’s abusive towards a partner, i’m seeing this partner telling someone about it. perhaps contacting someone like a family member from “back home”. he’s going to be a puppet on a string for someone. this could even be something extreme like blackmail for some of you, from the very same person who he assumed was too naive or easily-controlled to take a stand for themselves. he’s going to be forced to ask for forgiveness. he could literally have to “move back home”. whether that’s with a sister specifically or some other family member, and this would be due to losing his home. i’m getting a really sick message, so feel free to skip the following sentences: your father could be a major creep towards you. he could’ve completely been inappropriate with you in an extremely sick and weird way, and if that applies then i’m extremely sorry that you had to go through this. but this is the secret that will cause him to be exposed for who he truly is. you could be the person who he thought was too under his control to actually expose anything, but i’m seeing that you know exactly how fucking weird he is. he underestimates that. and this doesn’t have to be anything like extreme abuse (although it definitely could be) but perhaps this is about your father being emotionally incestuous and treating you more like a partner (putting weird ass standards and expectations onto you, your body, what you wear, etc) than his own fucking child. he’s getting so much karma from this. overall, everyone will eventually turn his back on him and he’ll really be put into the position of asking for forgiveness. not that this would make any difference.

if you’d like a private reading, then please check out my pinned post 🤍

• pile three •

cards:

wild

red - “forgive”

sacrifice

marie masquerade - “glamour, intrigue, and drama”

samhain - death

uriel - “angel of flame”

your father is going to be plagued by a turbulent life, full of dramatic situations and stresses. and i’m seeing that your father could be a cheater. a womaniser. he acts like he can’t control his actions towards “sexual temptations”. he’s going to be finessed and played by a woman to the highest degree. a young woman who knows how to use her looks to her advantage. he’s going to fall for this like the no-self-control-having, thirsty person that he is. and she’s going to be a dark divine feminine that is coming in to be your father’s karma. this entire situation could lead to your father being exposed as a cheater which would result in the complete destruction and ending of something that he has built - i’m seeing tomatoes so this most likely relates to the family dynamic. there’s definitely going to be a major ending for him that is going to make him feel like his life is in complete rubbles. he’s going to have to sacrifice something too. something that he thought that he was ready and prepared to bear the fruits of, but it’s being ripped away. or someone’s going to sacrifice him and cut him out of their life (for some of you, it’s your mother). he’s not going to receive any forgiveness for whatever he has done. his karma could even be getting his ass beat with this “angel of flame” card. he could have a temper and be so used to being able to snap on people without consequences, but he will try the wrong one - one day. and his ego is going to be humbled greatly. i’m seeing continuous trickery throughout this reading though. i really feel like he’s going to be tricked, played, and exposed for who he actually is. and he’s going to be left in a state of not being able to find value in anything - even if he’s at least financially abundant after this karma hits, it won’t matter. what he decided to prioritise won’t bring him any type of fulfilment or peace, and he’ll be left with what he was chasing after this whole time - but without whatever this is that he seems to regret losing at this point. whatever it is that he felt brought him security that he doesn’t deserve. he’s going to feel like he’s having to navigate something completely foreign to him after this - like he’s a teenager or a young adult figuring out life for the first time, all over again.

if you’d like a private reading, then please check out my pinned post 🧡

[nessafayee]

seeing shauna shipman kiss a girl has just confirmed to me that i’m never wrong about a character being gay. nothings impossible guys 🙏 i saw imogen in heartstop coming too the MOMENT i saw her.

so jen lindley is a LESBIAN! people call me crazy…they say she was boy crazy…she had a baby….she was a #thot. and i say she had comphet and thought her worth was based on the approval of men because of her dad and trauma. there was literally a whole plot line of her being confused as to why she didn’t like cj when he was the perfect guy….🤨🏳️‍🌈

lizzie saltzman is also a lesbian, simon & xavier are gay af, liam & theo are in love (liam’s bi, theos gay), stiles is also bi, nini salazar roberts BIG fat lesbian, audrey hope also a lesbian. gawd do i love head-cannoning someone as a lesbian! veronica mars is bi and was in love with lily and lily was also bi #rest in peace my queen, you go on haunting the narrative with jackie taylor 🩷

if i like a character odds are i think they’re gay, but that’s because i only like gay people so if i like you that means you’re gay 🫶

[malach1tis]

when you cozy af but forever haunted by the narrative

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep2 Musings - At the Chateau

More random musings; this time specifically about The Hunt at the Chateau.

I hate these two wenches specifically, but NGL, they look cool here.

Ohhhh, AMC knew what they were doing, going RIGHT for my ovaries! 😍 DADDY TUAN PHAM! 😍😍

Sincere is one thing. HONEST is another, though. Y'all knew those Americans were sus, Armand. They're not buying that "Bruce" BS, Louis, don't sleep on them!

I am SO BUMMED that we didn't get to SEE this scene; I was so excited!

Now I'll never get to see Louis so bored out of his skull by Santiago's thespian charms that he starts snoring in the middle of the play. U_U

Mr. I Could Not Prevent It, what were YOU doing to protect your man? You slaughter random innocent fledglings just for blinking, but you let your whole coven plot Louis & Claudia's demise right under your nose?

Bull frikkin crap!

Daciana been knew. U_U

Who is the coven LEADER, and the coven MASTER?

"COMPLICIT" finna be my favorite word this season, istg.

SO well said, Louis; as this beastly monstrous coven has TWO heads, these SNAKES, this immortal Hydra that only dies when Hercules cuts its head off and cauterizes the wound.

I am SO ready.

I loooove this transition frame; the Moulin Rouge as the most famous French theatre in pop culture, as Louis snaps his sad photos and Claudia whoops and the Theatre Louis sets on fire takes them hunting to a chateau they'll set on fire.

Reminds me of what Lestat said: "there is a veil between us; but it is a THIN veil." Louis will never be "one" with y'all. He's already bound by "a cord you cannot see, but it is real;" all your Mind Gift's mindscrewing can't un-screw Lestat out of Louis' blood! 😜 Louis drags that camera EVERYWHERE, ducking behind the lens, seeing the world thru a Glass Darkly; a warped perception of time & space. Cuz he's STRUGGLING; looking for God; looking for ("the wrong kind" of) love in all the wrong places.

Look at the things he takes pictures of! He's documenting DEATH; a MASS MURDER--"you are chronicling a suicide"--as the coven rides their bikes to the house they're gonna KILL everyone in. This isn't a mere road trip; this is a HUNT.

Equestrian statues & triumphal arches--monuments of blood-soaked imperialism & colonialism.

Hedonistic bacchic revelries. "I want food, I want sex, I want to go home."

Meanwhile, Claudia's high as a kite, on cloud 9.

EVERYBODY, Claudia? As they pan to Louis? "I hate you both!"

I wanna throw up when I remember Claudia's ashes got mixed with the coven's when the Theatre burned down. U_U No justice, and no peace. Claudia, I would've become the most notorious Parisian poltergeist in history--the Pope himself would've had to come up to perform the exorcism, on god I'd make my death everyone's problem.

But the LOOK on Louis' face, omg.

Whole 5 stages of grief in reverse:

Acceptance: he TRIES to "be one with us," taking on the "collective hunger;" smiling (fake AF) as he tries to soak in Claudia's ecstasy; riding in Armand's sidecar, flirting with the "Maitre," cozying up with his potential new beau

Depression: knowing full well he hates the rampant bloodlust & violence, the carnage in the chateau on fire behind him

Bargaining: Mr. I Only Eat Once Every Other Day, refusing to take part the the slaughter but still standing by--you are all COMPLICIT--while they were being killed; and agreeing to have Armand teach him how to be a better killer by honing the Mind Gift, etc.

Anger: The Fire Gift WHENNNNNNN? Foreshadowing AF! Claudia, you WILL be avenged!

Denial: Lestat WHO? Being told straight to his face that Armand knows he's lying, knows he's been collecting alimony & child support checks from Roget, knows Claudia wants to join the coven that set up a frikkin shrine to the dude, knows Santiago's a cheap imitation of Lestat, knows DreamStat's gonna keep haunting the narrative, I can't

An EFFED UP Gothic Romance.

The book stans who keep complaining about this show are just willfully ignoring what AMC's doing here. There is PLENTY we can complain about absolutely! But overall this adaptation is a slam dunk.

[randomgentlefolk]

CPC CHAPTER 167

YO PROPS TO WITCH!!!

Hm, I wonder how Leelathae writes in her diary? I mean, does she write them in just dialogue, or narrative, or what? Either she is writes in dialogue, or she described the witch pretty well for Gwen to recognize who the witch is.

I mean, I didn't expect these ingredients, but sure. Does this imply there's a cemetery near The Pastel Kingdom? Cause Leelathae isn't allowed to be far from home, right? And I doubt she would ask someone to get dirt from cemetery for her...

I wonder what Leelathae plan was? Cause she didn't get the chance to execute it since her portrait was stolen by Leland. Or maybe she did execute it while in the Plaid Kingdom?

I agree with the witch so much. The painters fr did Leelathae dirty 💀

THE WITCH WASN'T LYING. SHE DOES LOOK COOL AF. LIKE. BRO?? HOW AM I NOT SUPPOSED TO FALL IN LOVE.

Huh. How does the ingredient turn into a paint-like liquid?? None of the ingredients are liquid based. Maybe the dirt?

This whole spell thing is sick man. It's so dang cool!! I wonder if anyone notices Leelathae sparkling?? I mean, one of the maids has got to notice right?

Also I've never knew there's tea inside snickerdoodles (chai is tea, right?). Well, it's not like I've ever tried snickerdoodles, but last time I read the recipe, I don't remember tea being in the recipe. But that was years ago so it might just be my memory.

Well, the mystery of the portrait is finally solved! And yet there's another mystery.. what writing did Leelathae put behind her portrait? Yes, the diary is one of them, but there are other things too. Like those brown and green papers. I'm guessing it's a message toward her kids?

Ohh, that's why!! Leelathae was glowy because of the spell!

BRUH SO WAS IT LIKE, A MISUNDERSTANDING THIS WHOLE TIME?? I did kinda predict it in my really old post, but I was joking T_T

Something's kinda bothering me about what Leelathae said in her 3rd wish. Why is she only talking about her daughters? What about Jamie? Or is there a hidden meaning that I am not getting here? If someone would enlighten me, that would be nice.

Aw. It's actually pretty sweet when you think about how they didn't even know how to speak to each other at first, but they still fell in love with each other <3

Oh. Oohhh....okay. This doesn't justify what Leland is doing right now, but it sure give a big reason for it. Yikes. Damn. That must've hurt.

Okay okay, let me just remember the past episodes to realize all the causes here.

Leland's parents died due to tragic carriage accident (didn't a carriage accident happen more than once? Tho I can't remember to who besides Leland's parents)

His best friend, Jack, didn't arrive to Leland's parents' funeral, which is the moment he needed him the most (not Jack's fault though, since he was literally stranded in an island)

Leland obviously has a little crush on Jack, which is why it hurts him when he found out Jack brought Leelathae to Pastel Kingdom (again, not Jack's fault). I think this is where he jealousy starts, the point where Leland thinks he has to be better at every love things than Jack.

He overheard Jack saying he didn't need him, which is probably the nail in the coffin for Leland. I mean that monologue Leland has? That's kinda internal mental breakdown right there. (I gotta say, this scenario is kindaaa similar to Gwen overhearing Frederick calls her ugly. I wouldn't say it's the exact same thing of course. It's just the overhearing that makes it similar)

So! Looking at these 4 reasons, it is highly likely that Leland has some problems (no shit sherlock). HEAR ME OUT. I don't know what it is yet. I was thinking of abandonment issues, but I have yet to read much about it, so i'm not sure yet.

HAH! Glad Leelathae decided to haunt his dreams tho!

OH SHIT OH SHIT. NAH LELAND NAHHHH. HE BETTER NOT. ....well at the time i'm writing this the next episode is already out so.. guess we're gonna find out...IN THE NEXT REVIEW!!

Yeah I haven't read the episode yet lol. I bet it's gonna be chaotic though.

That's it for now, until next time.

Mono out! (But still in to hear your thoughts)