#he's just like “meh. this really doesn't effect me.”

[habitual-creatures]

Y0U... WHY W0ULD Y0U S3ND M3 1NT0 THAT H3LL SPAC3. 1 WANT T0 HURT Y0U.

▻ 🖤💨 / SMOKE

(Eughhh,, im so tired😔 But I did a math quiz! I actually understood that,,, oh andd :3 basically he uses his smoke form to get in the nose and in to the brain! So he just has to release the smoke out, also another reason why Xia was acting like a brat because there was literal smoke in her skull)

BecauseIcould.

You'reunpleasant... IcanseewhyXiawasbeingsuchapain.

[mythology-void]

okay so I was doing a Research™️ about ancient Greek etymology as one does and I found some Things that made me want to Violently Claw My Arms Off please allow me to force feed you my discoveries

So there are 2 words for "not" in ancient Greek, depending on the context: ou and mē. Having introduced himself in the Cyclops episode as " ou tis", or No-man, he then stabs Polyphemus in the eye. When Polyphemus' brothers come to check on him, they say this:

"... surely no man [mē tis] is carrying off your sheep? Surely no man [mē tis] is trying to kill you either by fraud or by force?"

Right after this, after the other cyclopes ditch Polyphemus, Odysseus's inner monologue goes something like this:

"Then they went away, and I laughed inwardly at the success of my clever strategem [metis]." (pronounced mEH-Tis)

Now, there's a difference between mē tis and metis. [mē tis] (pronounced mEH-Tis with a space between the syllables) is the literal translation for "no man". Metis is a word for extreme intelligence/cunning, which is something Odysseus is famous for.

Now, there are several examples of abuse of metis/intelligence in the Odyssey, but I think the juxtaposition between [mē tis], or the concept of anonymity, and metis, or extreme intelligence, is REALLY interesting. Odysseus's adoption of the title "No-man" was characteristic of metis--it was a really smart move that simultaneously hid him from the cyclops and avoided any future consequences. It was a highly effective strategy all wrapped up in a nest little package with a bow on it.

But when he revealed himself as Odysseus of Ithaca, effectively throwing off No-man (anonymity and [mē tis]), that was characterized as idiocy--he's essentially doxxed himself, and now he's doing to (spoiler alert) get tossed around the Mediterranean by Poseidon for the next 10 years.

This is really interesting because it lets you see the parallels/codependency between metis(intelligence) and humility. When Odysseus refused to allow himself to go unnoticed (hubris) he suffered for it. BUT when he declined instant glory/satisfaction (kleos) in order to achieve the long term goal of survival, he was rewarded with Athena's favor (pay attention. This part is important).

And this situation repeats itself MULTIPLE TIMES in the Odyssey--the EXACT SAME THING happens near the end of the book, with the suitors. When. Odysseus is dressed as a beggar and the suitors/Antinious are abusing him, he ACTIVELY CHOOSES not to react--he doesn't stand up and rip off his disguise and start hollering "TIS I, ODYSSEUS OF ITHACA! FEAR MY WRATH"

No. He sits there patiently and waits. He plans and schemes and quietly orchestrates their downfall without alerting them of it. Why? Because he learned his lesson the first time this happened. He buried his rage and adopted what was, according to Grace LA Franz, a more feminine form of metis, weaving a web of destruction for his enemies that ultimately resulted in their total annihilation (see Weaving a Way to Nostos: Odysseus and Feminine Metis in the Odyssey by Grace LaFranz). His patience allowed him to win the whole prize--no questions asked, no 10-year-long-business-trip strings attached--just the sweetness of a full victory. And he is, once again, rewarded with Athena's favor--both in the battle with the suitors and in the aftermath (cleanup/reuniting with Penelope).

This really reinforces the idea in the Odyssey that Odysseus's defining characteristic is not just his intelligence--it's his ability to learn from his mistakes. He used what he learned at the Lotus Eaters Island against Polyphemus--the Lotus Eaters drugged his men, so he drugged Polyphemus. He used what he learned from Circe and Polyphemus against the suitors--Circe used false sweetness and honeyed words to lure his men into a trap, so that's exactly what he did to the suitors. His hubris on Polyphemus' island cost his whole crew their lives, so he intentionally left well enough alone until the right time. He didn't just learn from his failures--he turned them into BATTLE STRATEGY.

i don't care what anyone says that is completely totally and objectively awesome

[ittsybittsybunny]

ATLA Live Action Series Review:

The Good

Aesthetically this show felt right. Sure sometimes the outfits didn't quite feel lived in, but I always felt like I was watching a fantasy world with decent effects and interesting design. Also, I really enjoyed the sets!

Bending: Yes some of the fights feel very quick, but the bending looks cool. It is certainly better than 10 benders lifting one big rock. I can honestly say the opening bending fight scene gave me so much hope for this show.

Kyoshi Warriors: I loved seeing them in live action, and I thought Suki's performance was great!

Omashu: I think the mashup of the mechanist made sense since that is an important character overall and I would hate to see him cut. However, both Jet & the secret tunnels felt sloppily thrown in.

Northern Water Tribe: I really loved the way it looked, and appreciated the two episodes we spent here. I think Yue gained more agency in this interpretation, and why shouldn't the moon spirit be a waterbender. Also, episode seven felt the most in tune with the original show's spirit.

Zuko: I think he was one of the most fleshed-out and best parts of the show! Dallas Liu really captured Zuko's spirit, and the scene between him and Aang in episode 6 was wonderful!

Soundtrack: Hearing the original soundtrack bits is always great, and when I first heard the ending music I was so excited.

Is the show perfect, no - but I wouldn't mind a season 2.

The Bad

Pacing: Turning 20 episodes into 8 was bound to lead to some cuts...but oftentimes times things felt too quick or disjointed. I think there were editing problems contributing to this for sure, but sometimes things skipped around too much without a clear purpose as to why. Also, why bring in plots from later seasons when you barely have enough time already?

Writing: This show definitely suffered from exposition dumping, though it did get better as time went on. I think the biggest example of this is actually opening in the past rather than the present. We do not get to learn along with Aang that the world has changed, instead, we get to learn that 100 years have passed....which doesn't hold the same tension or worldbuilding.

Clunky Dialogue: Along with exposition, clunky dialogue is another example of bad writing. I think sometimes I felt like the acting was kind of meh in the beginning, but then over time I began to realize it had far more to do with the lines characters were trying to deliver. The actors themselves are not bad, just cursed with awkward writing and lines that feel out of touch with the setting they're in.

Main Trio: I don't entirely know that I believe Katara, Sokka, and Aang are friends as opposed to 3 people stuck together to save the world. Aang feels a little too somber for a young kid running away from his responsibilities, Sokka is protective, but not exactly the heart of the team, and Katara is sort of just there until the last two episodes. Where is her struggle, her desire to learn so strong she steals from pirates? Also, while Gordon Cormier did a great job, Aang does zero waterbending on his own, is overly serious, and tells Katara not to fight. Where is his desperation to protect his friends? It feels like they all lost emotional depth.

Tension: Bringing Ozai, Azula, and Zhao out in the beginning immediately causes us to lose the realization there is an even bigger bad. Part of why Ozai is so terrifying is he is a primarily silent villain until the third season when we finally see the face of the "big bad evil guy" behind it all. Yes, they add to Zuko's backstory, but again, they are revealing the villains too early. Azula is the antagonist of season 2 and one of my favorite characters, so I hope they do more with her in the future. Finally, Zhao is supposed to be an example of the uncontrollable nature of fire unrestrained, instead, he comes off as vaguely threatening with the supposed true power being Azula.

Characterization: While all characters are bound to lose something in a shorter show, it still felt like certain characters were more mutilated than others. I am sure there are 100 different opinions on who, but I think the biggest victim was Katara.

Katara: Katara manages to go from a complete novice to a bending master in what feels like a matter of days. The journey feels short, and that makes the results feel largely unearned. Katara is one of the strongest personalities in the show, determined, kind, and fiery. In many ways, she is the unpredictability of water - equally dangerous as it is necessary to live. She is the child of a war who lost her mother, forced to grow up too soon, and even raised her older brother. Yes, Katara often gets stereotyped as the mom friend, but overall she feels underutilized in this show. We really don't see enough of her journey until the very end.

Iroh: Iroh was always comedic but most importantly wise. Even when Zuko is trying to give himself advice, he mimics Iroh. Instead, he seems to be used more as comedic relief without the underlying experience. He just doesn't feel right. Also, he kills Zhao instead of Zhao getting himself killed - which is less about Iroh and more about the writing than anything.

Ozai is weirdly a little too nice. Yes, he burned Zuko and pits his kids against each other, but he feels toned down in a show claiming to be more mature than the original cartoon.

Azula is perhaps more realistically worried about losing her status as the golden child, but she is also missing the cruelty she and her father share. I understand worrying about making your character cartoonishly evil, but the Fire Nation is currently a deeply nationalistic empire trying to control the world. Where is the deep-seated belief that they are better than other people, not just trying to bring balance to the world? There is a line between creating complexity and toning down the very real evil inherent in this plan.

Roku: I can only say what the fuck was that. He was barely there, and not the serious master to Aang's youthful exuberance.

The Ugly

Show, Don't Tell: The show's single biggest issue seems to be speeding through story parts by simply stating things. Instead of allowing the audience to discover, trusting that we are smart enough to understand, let's just blatantly say things like Zuko is the only reason the 41st division is alive to their faces. Even though in the context of the story Ozai literally already said that.... it's the division, the division for Zuko, Zuko's division.

Thematic Misunderstandings: I think this show makes several minor changes with major implications, such as airbenders actively fighting the firebenders, when airbenders are known for their pacifist nature and the lie of an Airbender fighting force is actively propaganda. Similarly, Aang very quickly accepts his role as the avatar and doesn't even run away in the beginning. Without this conflict between his desire to be a carefree child and the fact that the world needs him - the show loses a key aspect of Aang's character. Also, the obsession with downplaying the avatar state as something dangerous feels like a disservice to the tradition, connection, and strength of the avatar, which can be permanently destroyed as the trade-off for that kind of power. It's dangerous for the balance of the entire world, not just because it's powerful!

The Agni Kai: Zuko's fight against his father is one of the defining moments of Ozai's cruelty, not just because he is willing to fight his child, but because Zuko tried to do everything right. Zuko shows deference to his father, apologizes, and most importantly refuses to fight! The determination not to upset his father and still be grievously injured and banished is a hugely important theme for the fire nation and Zuko's life as a whole. He tries to do everything he is supposed to and only regains his father's acceptance after he "kills" Aang. Zuko's struggle between moral vs. social right and wrong in contrast to his family is hugely important to his character.

-----

TLDR: ATLA was a fantastical animated television show that was never afraid to show character development and flaws. When you turn 20 episodes into 8, you are bound to lose something. You hollowed out the middle, leaving the shell of important moments and events without ever wondering if all the times in between formed the true spirit of the show.

Rating: 6.5/10 It's perfectly fine and worth a watch. Not a disaster, but certainly falls flat of the original.

[foundtherightwords]

🏛 👑⚔️"Gladiator II" thoughts 🏛 👑⚔️

Before I start, I have to say that (and please don't throw me into the Colosseum for this) I think the first "Gladiator" is just okay. A solid epic historical/action flick, sure, but to me it's no more than that. And... well, "Gladiator II" is more or less the same, but with a less tight script and therefore less emotional resonance.

It's my biggest issue with the movie. The spectacles are great and the action sequences are solid, but I'm not interested in any of the characters (with the exception of the emperors and Macrinus.) They're all very one-note. To be fair, Acacius doesn't require a lot of dimensions and Pedro did a good job with the character, but Lucius and Lucilla... meh. For a movie that is 148 minutes long, it feels oddly rushed; I felt like I never had the time to get to know the characters or become invested in their fates.

On to the good parts: like I said, the emperors and Macrinus. The review that says Denzel is acting on another level and Joe is the only one that comes close to matching him is spot-on. Out of all the characters, Geta and Macrinus are the only two with some depth. Denzel is amazing, affable and gregarious one minute and then chilling and menacing the next. As for Geta, maybe I'm just biased, but it's so easy to make him one-dimensional too, except Joe imbued the character with nuance and subtlety, so although we don't get to spend a lot of time with them, we understand these two emperors and their dynamic very well. Fred also did great with Caracalla - in fact, if his character wasn't so deranged and erratic and Fred didn't play that to perfection, Geta wouldn't stand out as the sane one as much as he did. They really were the perfect double act.

OK, so those are my spoiler-free thoughts. If you haven't seen the movie, click away now! It's going to be all spoilers from here! This is your last warning! (Oh and I'll start posting my Geta fic next Tuesday. Here's a preview; if you want to be tagged, drop me a comment!)

Now if you don't mind spoilers, read on...

When we found out that Ridley Scott had done a switcheroo and made Geta the elder brother (interestingly, the subtitle at my theater has Caracalla as the elder, which suggests the translator did more historical research than Sir Ridley and his writer!), I guessed that the movie would still follow a bit of historical facts with Macrinus manipulates Caracalla into killing Geta (OK, the bit about Macrinus manipulating Caracalla is not historical, but Caracalla killing Geta is), and then Macrinus would kill Caracalla to take the throne. Well...

And Geta's death is... my God. I gasped out loud in the theater. The head afterward was a bit goofy, but I can't say it's not effective. Poor Joe. Not only his characters always get killed, they often get killed in the gnarliest ways too.

I'm very annoyed at those early reports saying that the emperors have about 20-30 minutes of screen time though. It's more like 10! This video?

That's basically all of Joe's scenes! (Fred gets more, obviously, but not by much.)

And again, I wish they would stop using cut scenes as promo (like with AQPD1), because this still?

Never happens.

The final fight between Lucius and Macrinus is weirdly anti-climactic. Macrinus is never set up as a great fighter anyway, so there is no tension in Lucius facing him.

Also, I know I complain a lot about the lack of historical accuracies, but the ending particularly annoys me because it makes it seem like Rome is finally getting better, except it wasn't! After the terrible reign of Caracalla, we get the even worse reign of Elagabalus, and then Severus Alexander, which is basically the calm before the storm that is the Crisis of the Third Century. So if Sir Ridley is doing "Gladiator III", I'd like to see how he wriggles his way out of that!

[datura-tea]

okey dokey! i just finished the fallout show! some Thoughts under the read more

tl:dr, the (bethesda) fallout vibes were definitely there. i liked it as a show on its own merits but as a part of the series canon... i'm mad, and that anger is kind of overriding the little i liked about it. overall maybe 2.5/5 stars and im being generous

things i liked:

visually, it's stunning - i could see scenes already being made into gifsets - the color grading is pretty good; even in dark scenes i could see and understand what was happening

the sets are soooo good!! costume design was alright too

title cards were fun and cute

they did some interesting stuff with the cultures of both vault 33 and the brotherhood of steel

they used the sound effects from the games :)

i liked the wastelanders!!! big npc and random encounter energy. i kind of want a whole show of just them. for example i love the marketplace and settlement in filly; it feels very lived in

the background characters weren't just young thin able-bodied conventionally attractive white people :) there's so many elders, which i loved!! ma june and barv were cool. i love gruff old lesbians

lucy!!! she was already kind of weird and a little off-putting even in vault 33 ("what's your sperm count" as an opener to the husband she was just arranged married to is WILD) and i like that. she's sweet and bullheaded and surprisingly competent :)

maximus is kind of an ass, but is also a pathetic nerd and brotherhood dickrider who actually doesn't really know anything. kind of a girlfailure

the ghoul was pretty cool too!! i liked him, though more for his prewar story than the one he has post-apocalypse

lucy's brother norman kinda grew on me. "i lack enthusiasm for every job that i do here" so relateable. also short king <3

THE DENTIST THAT BUYS TEETH. never thought that would be a Thing but now that i think about it, it makes sense

the monsters that we have were cool!! wish there had been more of them

MATT BERRY IS IN THIS!! i just really like him so i got excited :))

maximus and lucy's "wanna have sex?" talk LMAO

vault 4's various mutations!!

those giant unwieldy fuckass duffel bags that brotherhood squires lug around hahahhahahaaha

vault 4 and its genetic experiments because its main conceit is that it was ruled by scientists who hybridized humans. it's exactly the right amount of fucked up i want in a vault

i like that the protagonists regularly get captured and eat shit

FRED ARMISEN IS ALSO HERE

haha hacking minigame :) also chatting via terminals (and im assuming pipboys?) is canon now

they're growing crops in the wasteland + bustling trade + livestock + pets yay

robobrain was cute

things i was just ok with:

dane, the they/them brotherhood of steel aspirant who was fucked over so maximus can get their spot as a squire LMAO what a waste of a potentially cool character

IT'S SO FUNNY that there's yodelling whenever the ghoul comes into the scene ????? WHY

fight scenes.... pretty good but someone definitely had the bloody mess perk (i don't do well with gore so ew yucky). also lots of [VATS NOISE]

pipboy was not used as much as i thought it would be

cousin stuff... i get it, i guess in a vault you'd have a lot of cousins and not a lot of choice, so some incest would probably happen

the ghoul being vault boy's inspiration?? not sure what to feel about that tbh

the casual dismemberments... and equally casual attaching of limbs... not even prosthetic limbs.....

the vaulties eating good healthy well-balanced meals. giving out caviar in the welcome basket. kinda 50/50 on it

the vault 31 - 32 - 33 subplot couldve been more fucked up

have brotherhood knights always been celibate or did i miss the memo

there are regular chickens and... deer? for some reason?

the ghoul's design. it's fine in action but mostly it's meh

the vault 4 cult for moldaver

vault 4 as a refuge for shady sands survivors. im mad about it but like. i get it

that guys "elixir" (some altered jet??) fixing everything about thaddeus' foot instantenously AND GIVING HIM HEALING POWERS???

things i did not like:

lucy's plot premise is very much fallout 3 redux

lucy and maximus as a ship is very meh and kind of forced and not compelling. go give us nothing!!!

wilzig's head as a macguffin that everyone is after... ehh kind of just okay as a plot device

also the ghoul randomly eating that other ghoul???

the squire who bullied maximus calls himself fat but he isn't fat?? not even chubby??? hello????? just got a soft face

water chip being fucked feels very fallout 3 also but they kind of dropped it?

they definitely named cooper howard after todd. as tribute probably, which he doesn't deserve

fiend = cannibal now?????

maximus recognizing vault 4 as a cult but not recognizing the brotherhood as one lol

vault tec evil capitalism vs hollywood communists storyline was kind of basic. and bland. and weak

the enclave could've been established + explored better

no geckos or any other west coast-specific monsters

showing me ncr ranger armor when the ncr is gone

ghouls have healing powers?? WITHOUT RADIATION??

things i hated hated hated:

the ghoul needing drugs to combat the Disease That Turns Ghouls Feral

feral ghouls being basically zombies :/

IN EPISODE FIVE. THEY REVEAL. THAT SHADY SANDS. WAS BOMBED. THE ENTIRE NCR. WAS BOMBED. IN 2277. THE YEAR OF THE FIRST BATTLE OF HOOVER DAM

BASICALLY RETCONNED FNV?? IM PUTTING MY EARS IN MY FINGERS AND GOING LA LA LAAAAA

VAULT-TEC DROPPED THE BOMBS ???? BIG MT + MR HOUSE BEING IN ON IT????

THE BIG STUPID FUCKING REVEAL IN EPISODE EIGHT?? THAT THE OVERSEER BOMBED SHADY SANDS BECAUSE HIS WIFE DIDN'T WANT TO GO HOME WITH HIM??? FUCK THAT???

the brotherhood being the main faction of the west coast now. booo!! booo!!!!

the fucking last shot of new vegas being a burnt out husk. probably foreshadowing that hank is going to house's body but. UGH I HATE IT

to summarize: it came out strong! and stumbled hard falling face fucking first at the finish line. i would have liked it a lot more if it did not shit on the west coast as much as it did. because what the FUCK. if it was set literally anywhere else and left the ncr alone i would have liked it more, because on its own, as a self-contained story, divorced from the rest of the fallout series canon, it's not bad!!! it's fun, there's some good bits, it has the ~vibes~ but - and this is a big but - i don't know what it's trying to say. it's all very surface level and the very vague themes i picked up on are not really reiterated in the plot

it's like... the bits that make it fallout are there. vaults. the brotherhood. ghouls. a dog named dogmeat. but there's something lacking. it's like your usual sci-fi post-apocalypse show with a fallout veneer. idk. i like it for what it is but also i hate it for what it's emblematic of. that's all

[e-vasong]

For the director's cut ask game, any behind the scenes lore to share on Knockout? I'm so curious about the alternate backstories hinted at in that story. Anything you can share about the boys' encounters with the fae, or how they know Crystal in this 'verse or basically whatever you'd like to share!

For the end of year/start of 2025 game! Feel free to shoot me an ask if you have one. :D

Apologies for the delayed reply! <3 I have had an extremely busy few days, but I'm finally back....but still exhausted. :D (I see your other question too; I'll for sure get to that one tomorrow once I've gotten some sleep!)

There is. SO MUCH deep lore for Knockout. I really want to dive into it more at some point with another installment, because I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about it.

I'm still undecided as to whether it was Simon, but Edwin caught the eye of a fairy who whisked him away to the faewild and trapped him there for some time. Rather than being traded back and forth, Edwin escaped relatively early in his imprisonment....and spent quite a bit of time wandering, getting kidnapped by other faeries, almost eaten by monsters, etc.

Is Edwin still from the early 1900s? FANTASTIC question. I don't know. I think time flows funnily in the faewild, and aging is messed up too. That combined with the unreality of it means that Edwin doesn't know anymore, either. He does have memories that would suggest him being from that time period, but that could just be as easily be an illusion. He tries not to think about it too hard.

Charles' backstory is more or less the same (though bumped up a few years to be in line with the modern day), except in this world, when he got shoved into a freezing lake...he pulled out a Very Important Magic Sword. This is totally fine. <- Lying.

I keep trying to think about how to describe Charles' abilities, because in my HEAD it's very cool, but when I try and write it out, I'm like.... damn, this sounds weird.

Basically, for Charles, I'm repurposing the idea of "aspects" from Hades - I love the idea that certain mythological archetypes carry on before, during, and after their "moments in history," and if you embody enough of their qualities the Universe goes "Meh, close enough, here you go again" and you can effectively end up as an "aspect/representation" of certain mythological figures.

Charles has a few Western and Hindu aspects; in the really early days, when he was going through the classic Biracial Kid Identity Crisis, he would lose access to them randomly or summon different ones from what he intended, but he's mostly got it under control now. Mostly.

Crystal is still psychic. She also has, like, a great grandma who was a fairy, though she's only been to the faewild like once, and she fucking HATED it. Too many bugs, too hard to tell which way is up and which is down.

She still had her demon possession arc when she was 16 - except the boys weren't there to help. David burned basically every bridge she had before she was able to get rid of him -- including her ability to do things like use her real identity without getting arrested. Possessed!Crystal, like, straight up murdered people.

She's a sort of general psychic/magic freelancer, in many ways a fellow of Johanna Constantine, except she has a magic gun and she is NOT afraid to use it.

I haven't precisely decided how she and the boys met. My current favorite idea is that a fairy in disguise hired her to go after Edwin under false pretenses, and after uncovering the deception, she teamed up with them to bring the attempted kidnapper down.

[lost-inanotherlife]

Lost S2 Rewatch - spontaneous, random thoughts (might change my mind)

Kinda dig Ana Lucia. I remember that, back when the show first aired, I didn't like her but I guess I've changed my mind. I like the fact that she seems to be unapologetic, she's leader-material and she knows it and acts as such but she's not smug about it. She does bad things, she knows it and doesn't hide behind excuses. Honestly? So far she's cool.

The introduction of the Tailies was a ballsy move, we haven't seen our fearless leader Jack for 6 episodes now (I've reached S2E7) and the show is still compelling and exciting. We meet five new characters and their introductions are different from those of the main characters in s1: it's fast, no flashbacks, direct. The comparison works because I find myself wanting to know more even though I wasn't even given enough screen-time to care about them. Ballsy, well-executed professional writing move.

I like how the first 3 episodes are taking place on the same night/day as the last 3 episodes of S1 (or 2 episodes, according to how you're watching "Exodus"). We see the events from different perspectives and this method of storytelling sometimes is very effective, sometimes I personally find it a bit boring. This doesn't happen here at all.

Hurley is such a more interesting character when you rewatch the show! I think that he's the only character (so far) where knowing things in advance makes him better and I'm like "hell, yes, why didn't I see that before?". Like, when I first watched the show I thought that Hurley was the "comic relief" of the series. He kinda is, but he's also not and so much more? Upon rewatching the show you can clearly see why he was the right leader and the best protector of the island. Gotta love The Dude.

I've said it once, I'll say it again (and forever): JUSTICE FOR SHANNON. I'll protect her against anyone. Her centric episode "Abandoned" is okay but I find it very distasteful that her death is framed as manpain fodder for Sayid. Also, she has sex at the beginning of the episode and at the end she dies? Ugh. Again, distasteful, it felt a little like she had completed her function so off we go. My girl deserved so much more :(.

Speaking of Shannon, her relationship with Sayid is meh. I actually liked it 20 years ago but thank god I've definitely changed because it's a badly written ship. I mean, I can see that the two characters have potential, but there's no "meat" behind it. The story is not "built", it's just there. One day Sayid finds her attractive and that's it. The two of them have spent like 1 afternoon together and all of a sudden the guy creates a romantic location on the beach so they can have sex. Shallow. And also, let's never forget that these people are on a fucking island full of things AND people that want to kill them, but okay, let's go beachsex-camping somewhere!

I'm an anti-Charlie. It really costs me a lot to say this because he was my favorite twenty years ago and now I can't stand him. I've reckoned that if I have to spend more time trying to make excuses for him while I actively don't like his actions... well, it's wasted time. Let's call is as it is: Charlie's a dick. That scene after Locke was holding Aaron and Charlie was jelaous or, I'd rather say, unhingedly possessive? Brrr, chills bruh and the wrong kind. Dude, you're cringe.

[utilitycaster]

Hi, this is a response to yor post where you at'd but me but i couldn't respond.

From my perspective (black woman, american), the m9's time in the Kryn Dynasty arc felt like the cast was rushing to complete the main quest and minimize engaging npcs and side quests so they didn't have to learn more about the Dynasty culture despite earning a heroic reputation there.

My interpretation of why is wrapped up in my own feelings of DND monster races being "black coded" and Matt's take on "monster races" and the Kryn Dynasty was something I was looking forward to and I just personally felt more time was spent there for how important the Luxon mystery is/was.

As a result I was very meh about cr3 starting point and haven't actually engaged with it outside of spending a slow day crawling thru tags on tumblr. If you want i can delete the reblog. I didn't mean to offend you or anything

Hey,

So that "what the fuck" was not offense; it was complete and utter bafflement.

The Dynasty arc is pretty much nothing but talking to various NPCs, often repeatedly, sometimes to hilarious effect when the party was in theory rushing to save Yeza and stopped to chat with a bunch of random people in Asarius. Additionally, the Luxon is the absolute heart of Dynasty culture. Their entire society and history is built around its worship, schools of magic, and consecution, including that of Asarius. Saying "they focused too much on the Luxon and not on the culture" is like saying "they focused too much on Jesus and not Christianity". The arc is also, crucially, very much about dismantling the stereotypes that the Mighty Nein experienced when first learning about the Empire in Zadash. I cannot stress how much the party engages directly with it. Are they always sensitive in doing so, no, but they pretty much engage with it nonstop for an extensive period of time.

If I may, it sounds from this ask like you wanted the Dynasty to be a black or African culture and found that it was not. The Dynasty is othered by the Empire but without specifically stating a real-world race, and xenophobia plays an equivalent factor. The culture is a mixture with no single real-world analogue, but draws from both southeastern Europe and central Asia (to the point that when I sent that tag to a few mutuals we were all like "is this assuming the Dynasty is solely Asian?") It's completely valid to feel this way and to be disappointed by Matt's choices in how to depict the Dynasty and which cultural inspirations he chose for it, but that's a totally different complaint than the cast not engaging (which is a problem in C3) and it doesn't really make sense in the context of my post. No need to delete the comment though.

[rydiathesummoner]

JILL IS STRONGER THAN WE THINK: No I'm serious, here's why (all the spoilers)

When I finished FFXVI my feelings about Jill were… ok she's fine. We got her in the party after her time in the Iron Kingdom so she was physically weak. Even her powers were not as strong as Titan or Bahamut. She shone bright when killing Imreann, but then seemed relegated to the background for the rest of the game. She's even captured twice and requiring her boyfriend to save her. In 2023 that's so tropey it hurts.

However after too much overthinking, I think she's pretty great. She's well thought out. The problem is that sometimes the storytelling is too subtle and as an overtired and always stressed modern gamer I missed a few things about Jill.

Thinking back, how was Ultima defeated? Why couldn't Ultima posess Clive? Not because of Clive's physical strength or his massive pecs, but because of his Will. In the end, Clive's Will did not break or falter. Ultima fights with physical strength sure, but he usually gets what he wants throughout the story by breaking people's Will.

Jill's Will never breaks. Not once. Even when facing death from Kupka. She lives through torture and abuse but always remains in control of her Eikon. A broken Will is an Eikon out of control.

Ultima causes Clive's Will to break at Phoenix Gate. He also loses control with Garuda.

Joshua's Will breaks after seeing his father killed.

Benedikta's Will breaks after losing Garuda. Garuda gave her a sense of power and control, especially over men (who had hurt her in the past).

Kupka's Will breaks by eating the mothercrystal to gain more power. He did this at the suggestion of Harbard, who worked for Barnabas, who, well…

Dion's Will breaks after constant frustrations with his family, and Ultima manipulating him into killing his father. It should be noted that Ultima had to work pretty hard for this one.

Barnabas had no Will the entire story. He volunteered it to Ultima. Arguably the most physically powerful Eikon was the weakest when it came to Ultima's machinations. He genuinely thought Ultima would let him be reborn.

Obviously this leads to Cid, who also has an unshakeable Will and maintains control during his short time in the game. Both Cid and Jill influence Clive to strengthen his own Will. So why did it seem to me the Cid was a strong dominant, but Jill was just kind of meh?

I feel like this is an area the writing could have used some tweaks. Cid showed his strong Will by defying everything Valisthea stood on and creating an entire movement about it. This was a huge part of the plot. There are scenes where Jill could have primed out of control to save herself (Kupka and Barnabas's abductions for example, a yellow-eyed eikon could probably break crystal fetters) but the game doesn't really put that idea into the player's head. "Oooh is she gonna go crazy before this big dude cuts off her head and destroy Rosaria?" like they could have shown her struggling, or her eyes turning slightly yellow before regaining control of herself.

Or since Barnabas was Ultima's puppet, the scene on the ship could have been used as a way for Ultima to try to break her Will, but she resisted. In both cases, her resolve didn't seem tested and she seemed more like a plot point. I don't think this is intentionally how her character was written, but a side effect of making Clive the entire focus.

Our human monkey brains tend to lean into a Might Makes Right mindset, but physical strength was not what Valisthea needed. It needed the strongest Wills to save itself.

[enrychan]

so I finally beat DATV and I guess I'll write something about it while downloading BG3 (an early Christmas present from my best friend, a couple of days ago <3)

light spoilers under the cut

my main thought at the moment is just "meh". Thankfully DATV isn't a trainwreck like Andromeda, but it never exceeds the 6 or 7 out of 10 that I gave it while I was still playing it. The ending is good, but the results of such world-shaking events feel too rushed and not completely earned.

That's far from my main issue with the game, though. I don't think I can put all my thoughts in order at this time, so I'll just make a list of things that stood out to me, in a semi-random order.

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse at this point, with all the people already talking about it, but this story is completely toothless. In previous games Thedas felt real because of all the different struggles between its factions, and even many in-group rivalries/prejudices. But in Veilguard Rook's allies are all completely devoid of conflicting characteristics or problematic aspects. The Crows are fearless freedom fighters without a trace of all the very dark traits they had in the previous games. The Lords of Fortune are Good Pirates that raid in a 100% culturally conscious way. Even giving Minrathous to the Threads - a literal crime syndicate - has no major impact on anything, not even your own relationship with Neve. You don't even see any trace of slavery in the literal capital of the Tevinter Imperium.

On the other hand, the Wardens still retain at least some of their most "problematic" aspects, for which I was grateful. They were a small pinch of salt on an otherwise very bland meal.

Rook's companions were for the most part treated the same way, devoid of any real conflict whatsoever. I was hoping to see some fights between Lucanis and Davrin, or between Taash and Emmrich. but everything solved itself very easily in the space of like. one conversation, maybe. And I'm not even mad about that, specifically. In Mass Effect, Shepard solved some conflicts by just inserting themselves between the two bickering companions and telling them to shut the fuck up. Rook doesn't have that kind of charisma, though. Luckily for them, their companions apparently don't have strong enough opinions to sustain any kind of serious discussion. I mean, I always thought that one of the most interesting aspects of this series was having strongly opinionated companions, each representing a certain way to see the world and its problems. but maybe I'm wrong.

I'm not saying that the companions were bad. actually they were nice (a little too nice tbh) and sometimes some conversations rang true and heartfelt. Which frustrated me even more! At least I just disliked the Andromeda companions. These though... they had so much potential! Urrgghghghghhh

The Rivaini/Qunari and non-binary stuff about Taash was painful. It was written so badly. I could almost hear Bioware asking if it was politically correct enough from behind the courtains. And I was like. Man idk. Aren't these pirates? Why must you defang and declaw them to this point? It sounds so fake.

Isabela, my beloved, what have they done to you? like 99% of the pirate!Isabela headcanons that you see on tumblr is better than this. I could cry, but I'll just pretend that that was a lookalike. The real Isabela was out there on the sea, pirating with her crew. And a really big hat.

To steal Hbomberguy's words, "it's a smooth and palatable pebble that isn't particularly disagreeable, but slides out the other end completely undigested". He used this phrase for Deus Ex: HR but I think it fits DATV perfectly.

On the same topic, I romanced Lucanis, because of course I did. A dark, deadly, tortured spanitalian assassin abomination? That's basically My Trash(TM). Unfortunately, with the exception of a single moment where the whole thing risked getting almost interesting, for the rest it was a pretty boring romance. Which is INSANE to me. How?? How do you screw up something like that?? Where's the drama?? The passion??? Anders was a sad wet man from the sewers and he managed to be more passionate than this???

Some conversations between him and Rook were still cute, though. I just wish there was more to it.

I loved the environments, in general. They were very beautiful, sometimes even stunning. I didn't particularly like Arlathan, it felt cramped and it was excruciating to explore with all those doors and barriers and magic bridges. But the other maps were lovely. My favorite were the dark and creepy ones, of course. I loved the Grand Necropolis, and also everything relating to the Wardens.

On this note, I loved IN THEORY the idea of bringing back the darkspawn hordes. I've always loved those, they remind me of Origins, which is always a good thing.

I said "in theory" because in practice I HATED the new combat system. I can live with the Mass Effect-like combat, but the fact that the two companions are immortal while the only one to take damage is Rook is just complete bullshit. My squishy mage was constantly bombarded by enemies' attacks on every possible front, to the point that in the tougher fights she could only run around and sometimes give orders on the fly so her companions could maybe kill the creatures in her place (and they were bad at it). I tried for many hours to make it work, and I did get pretty good after a while, but I HATED every single minute of it and in the end I lowered the difficulty level just to get to the end more quickly. Just awful. I'm guessing that's what remains of a previous "live service" version of this game. Ugh.

The music was another complete disappointment. This series had an incredible record of banger after banger ever since Origins, and I'm one of the like. Five people that actually loved most of Inquisition's soundtrack. But this time it's just generic_RPG_music.mp3, apparently. Hans Zimmer my FOOT.

I'm a fan of Hans Zimmer, and that's NOT him. Or maybe it's him when he has 0 ideas head empty idk.

Bioware should have just asked Trevor Morris again. The only times in Veilguard where the music tugged at my heartstrings, it was Inquisition's soundtrack. It's a real shame, because a good soundtrack can really elevate even a mediocre experience.

The result of all these factors, is that in the end I didn't really care much for these characters, so I wasn't that worried to lose them. This version of the "suicide mission" was rather relaxed for me.

(In ME2 I thought I would panic and die IRL at some point)

There were a couple of moments near the end where I actually Felt a lot of Feelings, not because of Veilguard, but because of everything from the previous games. Nevertheless, they added something to a generally dull experience, so those were good.

I loved Assan. I loved griffons in general. They reminded me of my dogs, and i live for my dogs.

Also I loved the hair physics. My Rook had beautiful red curls. And freckles <3

[whattraintracks]

I wasn't really looking forward to anything going into High Potential 1.05 "Croaked" because, honestly, HPI 1.04 "Phyllobates Terribilis" is an episode I'm kind of meh about. After re/watching both and writing this, I appreciate them more, though.

Thoughts and comparisons below.

Things unique to "Croaked" that I liked:

Karadec to Morgan: "I am not listening to you for the rest of the day" (later) "I am still not talking to you"

"I know it kinda doesn't seem like it right now, but I do feel really bad about shooting you" Morgan says hardly bothering to conceal her laughter

Oz using the nickname Daph (as Karadec did in 1.04) highlights how familiar these three are with each other

I don't remember Daphné having any particular desire to emulate Karadec in HPI. I'm interested to see what they do with that here

Karadec, referring to the number of dates he goes on: "I cast nets"

Karadec, after Morgan swipes his phone: "You have exactly one second before I arrest you for theft" (and the look he gives her, my guy, please chill out) ((but also don't this is so funny))

I'm happy we got to see Fernanda reunited with Rodney!!

Morgan and Ava's conflict was a sweet demonstration of their relationship and the effects of Morgan getting emotionally invested in a case or, more accurately, in the lives of those involved. This time, it helped her, but I hope we continue to see the effects/toll this takes on her

Things "Croaked" did differently that I liked:

this is the first remade episode with a name change that I really like. It's both clever and easier to remember lol

clearly showing Morgan walk past and notice the dart gun on the wall and that the tank has one frog in it but nametags for two

Karadec turning to stare at Morgan in shock and betrayal just before he collapses

GIVING OZ THE COMIC BOOK PHOTOFIT SCENE T^T THAT'S SO CUTE

establishing Céline is a mom is something I wish HPI had done earlier, so I'm glad it's been brought up between Selena and Morgan a couple of times now

Daphne and Oz having a more visible contribution throughout the episode, even if it's weird (not bad, just different) seeing Daphne in the field

the 'we investigated different clues but ended up in the same place at the same time' trope is one of my favorites, and I like that all four ended up together again

Morgan bursting into the salon, declaring, "Bethany, you lied to us!"

Karadec's face is so cool to watch once Oz shows Nathan the book. The way you can tell he can tell something is up with the sudden confession

in HPI, Karadec is the one who wants to keep working on the case that night, is baffled Morgane leaves, and actually remains at the station after everyone. In this version, well, allow me to sum it up:

Karadec, trying to go home: Yeah, well, like I said, let's just dive back in on Monday Morgan, her eyes enormous: you tell morgan to WAIT? you tell her look with fresh eyes MONDAY? oh! oh! jail for karadec! jail for karadec for One Thousand Years!!!!

from the date: Karadec not seeming too bothered by the interruption, Ava asking before stealing his food, Morgan's "I thought we agreed that we were only gonna splurge on hookers as a couple?", the partners/not partners banter, and how quickly he and his date get into Morgan's revelations

the flip flops during the robbery detail and the ear dimples, since those are more likely to be genetic than the way one folds their thumbs

the grandma getting to meet her grandson!

something I didn't love so much was Oz saying "Or I'm so good, I got an innocent man to confess" like

Things I'm glad they kept from "Phyllobates Terribilis":

Morgan/e putting the very-out-of-it Karadec in timeout at the salon while she interviews the friend

Oz/Gilles' love of treats and snacks, plus his overall silliness and kindness

Daphne/é's tech-savvy and tendency to condescend a little

Karadec and Morgan/e feeling sure the case isn't over but for different reasons (the confession v. the karate photo)

Karadec continuing to manage Morgan/e's expectations (as seen in his original "welcome to my job" and new "hate to tell you, but it's like that a lot" in response to her frustration about the case's ending. I love this aspect of their early partnership. Karadec who's learned to shield himself emotionally v. Morgan/e getting invested in everyone they encounter in a case. She calls him heartless. He calls her ridiculous, but still tries to warn and shield her <3)

Things not included from "Phyllobates Terribilis" that I miss:

Dr. Bonnemain! Though I don't miss Morgane flirting with him

Karadec's allergies and the equally hilarious bit where Gilles lists all of them

Morgane shooting Karadec without warning (and in the butt)

Gilles pulling his gun on Morgane after this (could've had Daphne do it to emphasise her respect for Karadec? 🤔)

Morgane promising to take Karadec home safely; cut to her driving his car like a maniac, sirens running, and music way too loud

still in timeout, Karadec very seriously asking about the nail polish color (which would've been a BRILLIANT callback to 1.02!!)

High Potential missed the opportunity to name Bethany Beatrice or something, so it would fit with bees like Camille fits with Camellias

Karadec's little "Ha. Ha. Ha." when Céline finds him on the stairs and asks about his butt

also his insistence that Morgane didn't save his life

a ton of development on Romain's case! Actually, if they cut those scenes to take a different course or at least take their time with this plot, I won't be upset

Eliott, Albert, and Théa helping Morgane find the bad reviews

Karadec not taking Morgane to check out the second apartment because he wants to be discreet

then he says it feels good to work in peac—HONK it's Morgane! She's already here! Staking out! Would you like to join her in the very red car she just drew attention to? She brought beers!

Morgane noticing the realtor's pen at the vet clinic and the second apartment

Morgane picking up lunch for her and Karadec, switching the phone to speaker every time he changes it back, her soda exploding, him putting the call on speaker after all, her little HAH! when he does, and her stealing his laptop. They're work spouses

from the date: Ranir's, the kids sneaking Karadec's food, his exasperated "Alvaro" x3 then very exasperated "Morgane," his date staring at him to nonverbally commiserate but he's not even paying attention to her anymore bc he's sucked back into the case

Karadec's interrogation of Camille: his barely concealed anger that she's letting her husband take the fall, "there's no such thing as the perfect husband, but that man loves you" (which could've tied into the scene where Nathan explains to Oz why he falsely confessed)

the soundtrack! Rewatching this episode reminded me how much I love the motifs and character themes

[yuri-is-online]

Hi! I know it's a bit weird of me to put another thing in your periphery so soon after my last check-in. But I'm currently caught up in Princess Peach: Showtime! brainrot and I thought you'd like to hear it!

So in one of your earlier posts you came up with the idea of Yuu having a modern Alice in Wonderland-esque overblot with Grim as their phantom. But, having spent the better part of a week trying to hundred percent this game (why am I like this?) gave me another worm. And it goes something like this:

What if Grim isn't the only one gaining something from those blot crystals?

Because in the game, Peach changes "form" so to speak, after taking in a bunch of Sparkle. So who's to say Yuu isn't unknowingly absorbing runoff blot from those crystals? Then who's to say that Yuu doesn't have similar "forms" to the Overblot boys? Snapshots immortalized in ink and imbeded in a human who is slowly but surely losing it. And, going along with your idea of a Yuu overblot, what would it be like for the boys to have to effectively face themselves should that happen? Now it's not just Grim they have to face but a reflection of them at their lowest and the one victim who has been dragged to it every single time. The pain, the fear, the regret! Ah! I didn't know I could think of something so angsty! (And that's not even talking about Peach's last form and the Yuu equivalent!)

Anyway, make of that what you will. I just wanted to get that out there. Hope you're doing well and staying healthy! Looking forward to the next thing you make!

Sincerely,

The anon who loves Riddle & Azul

I really do love the way you format your asks dear friend, it is rather like receiving a letter. It is splendid to hear from you again so soon.

I had a brain rot myself a bit a while ago thinking about how it would be interesting for Yuu and Grim to channel the overblot forms similar to Eden's Promise: Eternity in FFXIV:

In my mind I was thinking how I would design a boss fight where Grim has three forms and Yuu has three forms, and then they merge to channel the Thorn Fairy since she's too powerful for just the one of them... but meh that's neither here nor there. The idea of Yuu with forms that reflect the various phantoms and physical attacks that reflect the overblot boys is so delicious, but realistically I think the concept you are describing where the boys are being forced to face themselves is the point of the various chapters we are going through in Book 7 right now. Grim and Yuu twisted into an overblotted abomination... you could argue that facing them would be the equivalent of what is happening with the ob boys right now in his book. It would be easy for him to blame the other dorm leaders and act like if they didn't overblot then he wouldn't be forced to hurt his first friend... but then that would be a disservice to you. He very much had his part to play, the largest one perhaps. In you now is a twisted reflection of everything he hated about himself: his power and his inability to save those he loved with it. You don't need any form other than your own to taunt him with that.

I do think you are onto something about the crystals not just affecting Grim. If we think about the relationship between Grim and Yuu, I think it makes the most sense to say that what Yuu gains from the blot crystals is their premonitions of overblot? Memories sealed in crystal are a fairly common trope... so if the memories of the respective phantom is trapped inside of that crystal then Yuu's visions could be the crystals calling out to them. I am less solid on the "why" but when I think about it this way, something about Grim and Yuu's connection allows Yuu to "hear" the crystals forming, which is why we don't get visions of every bad thing that happens (Rollo and Fellow for example) because there is no "Flower of Evil" about to bloom. Perhaps the Great 7's crystals "belong" to Grim/the Chimera in some way so that's why they are calling to Yuu? I need to think a bit more, but oh I am so glad you sent this ask. It gave me so much to think about...

[my-pjo-stuff]

For the Great PJO Ask Analysis event:

You've got a topic in PJO you'd like for me to analyze?

Presentation of race and gender: such as Charlie Beckendorf, Annabeth Chase, etc. and how those types of representations are good/bad for the audience.

Want to share YOUR analysis of stuff with me and my followers?

Annabeth Chase is not a heroine as the fandom makes her out to be. As a daughter of Athena, she's shown to be ruthless when it comes to anything, even forming relationships. Her attitude, derived from her fatal flaw, arguably makes the books difficult to read at times because she's so critical of what others do. Alternatively, she's a traumatised young girl who has had many people abandon her. What's your thoughts on her?

Want to hear my take or shares yours of different characters and aspects of the PJO universe?

The films, though poorly written and ill-received by critics and most fans of the books, were integral to get more people to read the books. Opinion on both films?

Thoughts on Luke's character in the films or the series?

Thanks for the ask! Presentation of race and gender

In my honest opinion? It seems to be more...brownie points collecting from me when Rick introduces any female or POC character in the books. I am only on The Lost Hero as of now, but from what I observed are these facts only ever just present and don't really contribute a lot to a character, while most major characters still tend to be white and male. For example Beckendorf. Yes he is a canonically POC character which is GREAT, but at the end of the day not only did he get 0 story with his race- he almost immediately got killed off too to serve as a plot device for Silena's story. I also seem to notice that while yes, there are quite a few female characters they are still consistently weaker than the men and tend to be reduced compared to them when it comes to combat. Annabeth for example, while no doubt being an important character she doesn't really fight much. She's a LOT weaker compared to Percy, and even if we go with the "well she's a strategist, not a soldier" angle then she also doesn't seem to do THAT much strategy? Clarisse comes to mind for a female fighter- but even she seems to lose against Percy whenever they fight or have an altercation and otherwise just isn't explored much or shown much. Piper from what I've seen does have an interesting set up and does seem to be very important- but just like other female characters she doesn't seem to be an equal match to Leo and Jason. You don't have much exploration of her native american side. Now I understand that you can't give every character equal amounts of screentime- but it does feel rather weird to me that the most powerful, important characters with the most screentime seem to be white men. The again to be fair, A) I'm a white teen girl so what do I know about race and B)Not yet finished with HOO so there are still chances for it to get better and have positive examples. But so far main and important characters still tend to be white, and if they are POC it doesn't have much influence of the story to the point of the race being easily swapped with no changes. And personally I do think that while representation to have is nice and good in the short term, it can grow harmful or less effective in the short term as any culture or issues are ignored. It can easily gives the impression that things such as racism or prejudice don't exist. The fact that most POC characters so far seemed to be rather unimportant side character (with expectation to Leo and Piper) in a setting where their race doesn't even matter is also meh for me. The fact that there's pretty much no female main character who could ever even think about going toe to toe with their male counterparts also reflects harmful ideals. Annabeth Chase is not a heroine as the fandom makes her out to be.(.....) What's your thoughts on her?

I think she's a bit bland to be honest. Like yes the set up is very interesting and certainly has many possibilities- but it's not explored enough. The first person POV from Percy is partially to blame for this, but I would have loved to see more on her thoughts. For example: She reacted pretty hostile to Luke in the first two books after the betrayal. In SOM she was angry above all, in TLT she didn't even seem to be very suprised or sad at how Luke betrayed camp. To the point of her first words when finding it out being "may the gods curse him" and basically what amounts to "yeah makes sense that it was him, I can see him doing that" Now could this simply be Rick's inconsistent writting? Yes most definitely, but I still think she should have been explored more. What went on in Annabeth's head? How did she feels? What did she do in that time she was captured by Luke, and pretty much directly protected by him? I'll be for real and say I find both her and Percy pretty bland in terms of character. Said it once, said it again- great set up imo but bad development.

Opinion on both films?

Thoughts on Luke's character in the films or the series?

Imma be for real here and say that I didn't really like the movies that much? But it's not like I hate them, they just weren't my cup of tea. Personally I'm one of those people who say that an adaptation should always be as close as humanly possible to the source material. Same goes for Luke in the movies- I do admit his casting was PERFECT, but otherwise? He didn't really have the same charm to me as he had in the movies. SHOW LUKE ON THE OTHER HAND GOES HAAARRRDDD. While I do still have my gripes with the show (especially with how Percy and co. missed the deadline and the way they did Hermes and Poseidon) I do think they did Luke pretty well. Even if I had preferred a book accurate casting did Charlie definitely bring over the right vibes. The changes in the scorpion scene are honestly understandable imo, considering that they now have a solid plan of Luke's character it makes more sense. NGL the show is sort of my biggest hope to get people to stop demonizing Luke for no reason. If hotness could save Draco SO CAN IT SAVE LUKE.

[thedreadvampy]

btw about Neil Gaiman I periodically agree with the 'Neil Gaiman is annoying' stuff bc I feel like both he and Amanda Palmer seem like people who I would go insane stuck in a room with bc we have very different ideas about art and suchlike. and I also do think that the career trajectory he's on lately is cynically redoing his greatest hits and pretending that was the dream all along when it clearly was not. which is at best meh.

having said which

as far as I can tell by far the most common complaint about Neil Gaiman is "Snow, Glass, Apples is problematic/gross/it's got incest and rape and frames the child as the aggressor"

which strikes me as a weird complaint to pull out of a 40 year body of work tbh when that short story is pretty clearly coming from a place of 'how far can I push this'. like you don't have to like the story. I don't really like the story. but it is. a horror story.

like and this is the thing with particularly 90s alt horror right? a lot of the interest is in transgression and sitting in the worst possible perspective and seeing what happens if you pull those strings. like I really like Clive Barker for example but there's a good chunk of his short stories that I'm like I'm not picking up what you're putting down Clive this seems Kinda Off. but that willingness to write some trite or Bad Message horror fiction that doesn't land is imo a side effect of being willing to try writing uncomfortable and unpleasant fiction at all. which is what horror is for, among other things, it's for creating discomfort as a form of catharsis or engagement.

like I am not a huge fan of the type of sex-horror that pops up in a lot of Gaiman's work and other contemporary horror writers - to me I don't find it upsetting or horny it just ends up feeling kind of edgy and tryhard - but I'm also a bit like. it does seem like a lot of people's beef with Neil Gaiman is that In The 90s He Was A Horror Writer

and this approach to Problematic Horror in Snow, Glass, Apples I find kind of microcosmic of how The Discourse often approaches art in this kind of 1:1 way. if you write a story which seems to line up with rape apologia it can only be because you agree with it. if you write a story about transphobia you're a transphobe. if you write a story that makes me genuinely uncomfortable you're attacking me.

but artwork, especially art like horror that's not necessarily trying to provoke enjoyment as its main response, is necessarily hit and miss. and if what you're shooting for is discomfort then whether it works, falls flat or goes too far incredibly depends on your audience. and making good art - as in art that makes its audience think, art that opens the audience up to discomfort and catharsis and sticks with them and changes them - requires the space to experiment and tbh the space to fuck up. like they aren't all going to be winners and they certainly aren't all going to work for you as a singular audience.

personally I don't see the appeal of Snow, Glass, Apples, less cause it's nasty and more cause it's hack. ooh an edgy monstrous version of a fairy tale where there's lots of rape and cannibalism? you're soooo original Neil. but like. that's fine. I don't really vibe with like 70% of Neil Gaiman stuff I've read but I still like Neil Gaiman because the stuff that works for me really works for me.

idk I think there's a lot of folk on this website who shouldn't interact with horror cause they clearly aren't interested in being horrified. that's not everyone who dislikes Snow, Glass, Apples, but it's a real undercurrent to a lot of the criticism and tbh this kinda vibe is shit for art. making standout art What Is Good also requires being ready to make art which stands out for the wrong reasons. sometimes they'll be the same art to different people.

[maplebean2003]

I'm like fresh in the marble hornets fandom so maybe I'm missing context but I've seen so many conversations bringing up tim in the last few days that I've even stepped foot here and just wow ...this isn't what I expected from this fandom at all wtf.

Tim from marble hornets is literally not fat in the slightest he's got a average body type wtf is wrong with y'all being so fatphobic and weird in general when someone isn't even in the slightest bit chunky also literally why does it matter anyway plot wise :/ mind ya business,like...he's a real dude playing that character not some anime kawaii man

He probably doesn't need people even having 'discourse' over it when he's literally uncomfortable in general due to y'all sexualizing him as is why do y'all care so much about a person's body it's fucking weird

I don't understand why its bein mentioned in the first place - just leave people alone and be happy they even made something you enjoy/enjoyed,respect people and move on without making it weird dude it's not that fucking hard

And again maybe I'm missing context of some sort and assuming the worst but this has baffled me significantly where I'm genuinely concerned about it cause it's really not cool to be bitching about something that doesn't matter or effect anything or anyone

I've seen the conversations a lot on Twitter as well as here on Tumblr for context so I hope I don't just sound like I'm unhinged lol but I scroll passed anyway cause I don't wanna see it but then more appear and it's like ....okay clearly this is something being talked about currently

Idk maybe I'm butting in and shoving my nose where it doesn't belong as I don't think people are intending to be malicious or at least I hope not but it's...very odd to me to suddenly see especially RIGHT as I enter the door to the fandom ^^" I'm not trying to be a dick or anything it's just kinda appalling is all

I don't mind if people draw him fat to clarify or like skinny ECT I do not give a shit about that lmao do whatever you want its fictional art I just mean when people are specifically targeting Tim's irl actor in the conversation that it's really not cool

Sorry for the rant btw I just kinda wonder if I'm the only one raising an eyebrow at these conversations or if maybe I'm over reacting when it's not that deep or if maybe I have the right to be icked by it and am not alone

I don't have any @'s to tag to show the posts I've been seeing as again I typically scroll passed them as to avoid the algorithm from thinking I want to see more of that conversation

Now I'll probably be stuck seeing it by even posting this lol but meh I just wanna know if I'm tweekin about nothing or if this is weird genuinely

Or if maybe I'm misunderstanding possibly even! Please do be gentle with me in the comments I'm a wuss lmao I don't want to fight I just want to understand wtf is going on and why it's being talked about

Why do I care? Personally it just weirds me out in general to be so focused on someone's body like that is all so of course I am a bit concerned and curious if the fandom is always like this or what

[zz-chikorita]

Oh no! Guzma, Leon, Plumeria, and the grunts discover an abandoned pokemon daycare FULL of baby pokemon! How do they handle the situation and the dozens of high-needs baby pokemon?

Well, you might think that Guzma would panic because this whole situation is so far out of his realm, but ye'd be wrong on both aspects! He essentially worked part-time for most of his youth in a pokécenter. Yes, DJ was a sort of black-market doctor when it came to human medicine, but she ran an entirely legit and operational pokécenter first and foremost. As such, Guzma picked up a lot about pokémon husbandry, care, and medicine. This included rearing young pokémon as I imagine people would bring orphaned and injured baby pokémon to pokécenters and daycares.

As such, Guzma would definitely take the lead in instructing everyone what supplies to gather, what to do, and how to handle the pokémon. It's actually rather difficult (but not impossible) for him to demonstrate some of the more delicate procedures, like syringe feeding the smaller babies, simply because his hands and fingers are so large compared to the little creatures.

(Not to break the fourth wall, but I've had coworkers in the past where that's a legit problem, because they're big dudes and baby animals, especially, like songbirds are just so fragile and delicate. Again, it's not impossible, but they faced challenges I and others didn't.)

In contrast, Plumeria is actually very uncomfortable and very stressed out by all of this. Part of it is to blame on her stark lack of maternal instinct, but the majority is just the terrible anxiety of what if she does something wrong? What if she hurts them by accident? What if, what if, what if!? With time and Guzma's guidance, her anxiety lessens. Eventually, she's able to mostly relax and enjoy the process.

With the grunts' help, they are easily able to create a schedule rotating everyone around to make sure everyone gets cleaned, fed, and any other daily care they may need. Guzma and Plumeria didn't create the most powerful gang in the region simply by "winging it," after all. When push comes to shove, they are fierce and effective leaders.

Oh, Leon's there too, right? He definitely has experience hand rearing baby pokémon from growing up on a wooloo farm. He's definitely able to offer advice and ideas, filling in the gaps to Guzma's fragmented knowledge. He probably encourages Guzma to do some of the care himself because. Although he doesn't want to admit it, he really wants to help, despite it being more difficult for him. Leon definitely picks up on this.

I have now created a scenario in my head where it's late at night and Leon is feeding some itty bitty neonates. Guzma is there hanging out with him since he would feel bad leaving him there by himself....

"Dae ye wanty help?"

"Huh?" Guzma looked up, having been zoned out.

"There's a couple left," he repeats, "dae ye wanty help?"

"Nah... those guys are way too tiny. It's too difficult to do anything." In a half-hearted, joking manner, he added, "Wouldn't wanna get frustrated and crush 'em by accident."

"Why're ye making excuses?"

"I ain't making excuses-"

"Yes ye are. There's nae way ye'd crush them. Even if ye wanted too, ye widnae dae it."

"What makes you so sure?"

"They say if ye give most quadrepedal pokémon an egg tae hold, they'll take it gently between their teeth. It's believed they have an innate sense that the egg is fragile and tae handle with care."

"And... what does that have to do with me?"

"Ah'm saying it's no in yer nature tae cause harm tae somthing so innocent."

After a moment of silence, Guzma grumbled, "You don't know me well enough..."

Leon placed the tiny, blind yungoos back in the bin with its siblings to sleep and digest.

He walked over to where Guzma was sitting.

"Give meh yer hands."

Guzma raised a brow but complied.

Leon brought the other's hands up to his throat. "Wrap yer hands around ma throat."

"What?"

"Dae it."

Guzma did as he was told.

"Choke meh."

"I'm not gonna-" He tried to pull his hands away, but Leon held him in place by his wrists. Leon gave him an imposing look, daring him to choke the life out of the smug champion.

They stayed like that for a few agonizing moments. Guzma could feel Leon's steady pulse under his fingers. It was far calmer than his own pounding heart.

"Ah knaw ye're mair than physically capable of hurting meh if ye wanted tae. But ye daenae wanty. So... ye won't. Ah knaw this fer a fact." Leon released Guzma's wrists and offered him a warm smile

Guzma's hands lingered for just a moment, before finally relaxing and dropping back down to his sides.

"Come on," says Leon, gesturing back to the counter where the cup of formula and bin of babies sat, "there's two left. Give meh a hand."

Silently, Guzma sits at the station next to him and Leon hands him one of the tiny creatures.

They feed the remaining two babies in comfortable silence.

Eventually, Guzma mumbles, "Thanks..." without looking up.

Leon smiles gently. "O' course."