#i been rewatching/rereading one piece

[yoyo-s-coffee]

tangerine

Other ver.

[the-red-butterfly]

Quick! I'm doing warm ups, send me some requests people!!

[daydreamingoncloud9]

[shatteredsnail]

i’m suffering from too many things disease. theres too much stuff i want to do or read or watch right now but i can only do so much at once

[youreaclownnow]

And so with that, I've completed my rewatch of the earthian OVAs. I loved them, as always.

I still have to wonder though. why they decided to go with a whole new anime only arc for the last 2, it's always confused me a tad. OVA 1 and 2 def feel far more in line with the manga than 3 and 4. It's a good thing I like messiah so much otherwise I'd probably hold a different opinion here, mostly over the wing ripping scene (the OVA it's just kinda hot, not a lot more. and in the manga? Well let's just say I cry everytime I read it. Due to the context in which it happens, and yes that entire manga arc gets skipped over in the OVA and not addressed. Because they were COWARDS [actually it was probably just time contraints tbh]). I also feel like some of The House drama isn't as.... impactful in the OVA, at least as far as how it ends. The themes and such are overall a lot weaker in the anime, but honestly? I don't think it's a bad thing necessarily. What the show does wrong is easily forgivable, and what it does right is simply fantastic.

I gotta say, my main draw for the anime rendition of earthian, is the gorgeous art and absolutely awesome soundtrack. Plot holes and wacky choices aside, it's fun to watch and i believe that's very important in an anime, and is something a lot of shows lack.

While the manga is certainly better than the OVAs, I feel the best way to experience the series is in fact, to consume both.

[sapphic-agent]

Rereading MHA for research on my Rewrite AU made me realize how hypocritical Aizawa really is.

Like...holy crud! It's such a gut punch when you take into consideration that Erasermic (which is a bit toxic canon wise) is what got me into MHA. I’ve been fed Fanon!Aizawa for so long, I was oblivious to the truth. Oh my god.

I initially wrote Stryxxxer (My AU version of Aizawa) hating his past self as a joke. But now...it's becoming more and more like a reality.

Oh yay, I haven't torn down Aizawa in a while >:D

If there's one thing Horikoshi is good at, it's plot manipulation. As in, the way the narrative frames Aizawa, it's so easy to buy into him being a "good teacher." The story is literally shoving that fact down your throat at every turn. I wasn't aware of it myself until I rewatched Deku vs Kacchan Part 2 when I was looking for evidence to support my hatred of Bakugou's character. When you're looking at material with fresh eyes, especially when you're specifically looking for faults in the narrative, you catch a lot more than when you experienced that material the first time.

To sum it up, rewatching/rereading MHA with more critical thinking (and common sense) means you can easily see through Aizawa's bullshit hypocrisy, ineptitude, and double standards.

My absolute favorite piece of evidence of him being a shit teacher is the Final Exam. Bakugou 100% should have failed for being uncooperative and violent with his teammate. And yes, our first instinct is to point out Sero's unfair failure by comparison (justice for Sero), but for me that's not even the worst part. While Aizawa is busy coddling Bakugou and giving him every concession, HE HAD FIVE OTHER STUDENTS WHO CLEARLY NEEDED HELP FAIL. And that's not counting the students who nearly failed because they didn't know what to do because of course they didn't Aizawa doesn't bother to fucking teach!

*deep breath*

Sorry, kind of went off on a tangent there.

To your point of fanon Aizawa, it's actually so jarring to look at Aizawa's canon behavior and then get bombarded with Dadzawa fics. And to be honest I wouldn't mind Dadzawa if so many people didn't bash All Might to make Aizawa look better. Especially because most of those fics perpetuate Aizawa's canon behavior and project it all onto All Might. And it's so prominent in the "Bakugou Katsuki Faces Consequences" tag that there are so many fics that had potential or caught my interest that I can't even stomach to read.

Good on your rewrite, though. Having Aizawa reflect on his past behavior and actually grow as a person is all I wanted from him as a character (and it's something All Might actually does in canon in case anyone needs to be reminded)

[onehundredandeleventropicalfish]

so i keep referencing the What Broke Delirium essay i plan to write but never actually writing it, so let's dig into that one!

because. sandman does not spoonfeed information. neil gaiman even said this in regards to the tv show, most shows are written these days under the assumption that audiences aren't really paying attention and need things spelled out for them - but sandman is not one of those shows. you gotta notice everything to get the full story

which honestly i love in many ways because it's part of why i'm never gonna run out of sandman essays to write - every time i reread the comics or rewatch the show i catch something new

and this is one of the first hidden bits of info i caught - remember this spread from overture?

it's a fucking gorgeous page and one of my favourite in the entire sandman run, both for the pretty art and the content itself (i love delirium SO much)

but let's just zoom in on the center of those flowers for a sec

because there's tiny tiny text written inside them

(for anyone who can't parse that, the first says "delight was sad", the second says "delight went mad")

now i've mentioned in many of my posts before that the endless all struggle to experience their own aspect, they are that thing, it exists for the most part out of their reach, and that causes problems for all of them

but i usually leave delirium out of these explanations

and that's because, for whatever reason, delirium is the opposite. and delight was too. i don't know what it is that makes her different, but while her older siblings all seem to be barred from their own domain by nature (or have to go to great lengths to experience it), del is too much of it. she's utterly absorbed by it. and while i think she's learned over the centuries how to be a bit more flexible (she understands the coins have two sides thing better than any of them, and can be lucid when she needs to), she didn't start out that way

we don't know what it is exactly that broke her. but we know why.

she had spent all of her life as the personification of happiness and joy, and someone who embodied those emotions. she appeared most as a little kid as delight, because kids definitely find it a lot easier to stay in that perpetually excited, happy mindset

but nothing stays that way forever. and this is where she is like her siblings, and why she's so familiar with the coin metaphor - when you're missing a fundamental piece of being human (either by being barred from your aspect or by being absorbed by it), that's not sustainable. it will tear you apart. dream refuses to accept that this is the case, and that breaks him. desire is equally stubborn about it, and they've outright admitted (in narration) that they're hanging on by a fucking thread

but death figured it out, when she realised she couldn't fulfill her function properly without learning what it was like to live. destruction figured it out when he ran away to go create. and delirium figured it out the hard way, because as soon as the world got a little too big for her singular aspect to make sense, it shattered

and it shattered slowly

there may have been some form of inciting incident, but she didn't become delirium overnight. i think a lot about her describing it as "growing up, or at least growing older", because that's both a very mature way to look at it and also an extremely tragic way to look at it, the idea that she knows too much, is never going to see the world the same way again, and that means delight is never coming back

(and that realisation is when she stopped presenting as a child and started presenting as a teenager)

and i think for a while, early days of being delirium, not delight, she didn't know what to do with that. delight broke into scattered pieces and the more fell away the harder it became to connect them

but she's also the only one of her siblings who's picked herself up from that. and it's why she's the wisest of them. because from there she learned

okay, so her innocence is gone. so delight isn't coming back. but there's still parts of her around, if delirium ever needs them. and the more she observes about the world, the more she experiences, the more different pieces she gets to add to the puzzle. they don't fit together, but that's del's real strength - they're not supposed to. she could have tried to reassemble herself piece by piece, like gluing together a broken statue, but why would she do that? then she'd be exactly as breakable as before, if not more so

instead she's more of a floating amalgamation of pieces, or rather, she's the ties between them. and because there's no set puzzle, she can put those pieces together in any order. she's no longer susceptible to the same problems as her siblings, because she's not missing anything anymore. she didn't lose parts of herself when becoming delirium, she gained some

and yes, no one is entirely without flaw - her downside is she's still susceptible to strong emotion, and when that overwhelms her mind she stops being any kind of person, we just see that floating amalgamation, until she can calm down. but that's the worst of it. her siblings may see her as broken, but she's more whole than she ever was as delight. and she's never going to break again

[momoliee]

Here Is Why You Should Read Priest’s Modern Danmeis :

As much as i love priest’s period novels, i absolutely adore her more recent, modern novels even more. You can tell that her writing style has completely changed as she grew and gained more experience, giving an edge to her work. I definitely believe her modern books NEED to be as popular as her wuxia ones cause COME ON?

(i’ve written in depth reviews on my page for each title i mention)

First, my absolute all time favorite, one of my top 3, Mo Du :

I’ve read this series a total of two times so far, and I’m about to read it a third time cause it’s just that good. And here’s the thing, i almost NEVER reread or rewatch stuff ok.

Fei Du is one of the most complex characters that i’ve encountered in my reading experience, with the worst type of mental trauma that i could come across. His relationship with Luo Wenzhou is one of the most enjoyable and perhaps, priest’s best written romance. Theyre both equally flirtatious, equally bold, their back and forth bickering is full of sexual tension and their progression from enemies to lovers is IMPECCABLE.

And the plot? PHENOMENAL. The BEST mystery and thriller detective series that I’ve ever encountered, with each book having it’s own individual mystery, and no two mysteries are similar. From child trafficking to serial killers to drug dens and even terrorism….you name it. Each arc is well crafted, and by the end, you’ll truly be able to sigh in satisfaction. For priest to be able ro make you enjoy both the romance and the plot equally…shes a genius. a 27/10.

Trigger warnings: this book discusses heavy topics such as pedophilia, rape, drug abuse, suicide, self harm, and a lot of similar topics

Next: Can Ci Pin:

Her most underrated work and i cant even begin to understand why. I mean yes it takes place in outer space in a futuristic society where people live for around 200 years across the span of 8 galaxies (not there are no aliens, but there are concepts such as ais and robots) but like….you’ve all read sha po lang with its steampunk theme and you all KNOW just how good priest is at world building. Dare i say, priest is the best danmei author when it comes to world building.

Yes, this is perhaps her slowest and longest piece of work and i get why so many would get bored after the second book. But here’s the thing, ccp has one of the most complicated worlds and plot. the plot is actually one of the most confusing and heavy plots that i’ve encountered. so in order for the story not to fall apart, it was very necessary for priest to spend the first two novels and half world building as well as slowly laying out a proper foundation for the plot. That way, when she starts speeding up the pace, you are basically a pro who doesn’t need to backtrack, reread or double check anything. By the time i was done with the third novel, i felt like i knew everything about space politics, wars between galaxies, Ai and microchips, and everything in between. And that’s saying something cause im an IDIOT when it comes books and shows politics ok.

In this series, priest has seriously invested into every single side character, even those who’ve been dead since before the series even started. With extensive backstories, each and every single character grows on you as much as the main pair if not more, and you fall in love with the found family priest created as well as all the characters who are only talked about in flashbacks and past tense. Another favorite part about this series.

Now the main characters and the romance….chefs kiss. Lu Bixing has one of the BEST character arcs that i’ve come across. He starts off as this bright sunshine boy, goes through hell, becomes this depressed cynical man then finds his way back to his old self again all in the span of the novel itself. Being able to go through the pain with him then watch him heal, makes you very attached to this baby. Li Jingheng my all time cold prince biggest crush ok i love him. Their romance was SOO entertaining cause EVERYONE was rooting for them and everyone played matchmaker and wingman with them it was HILARIOUS. The comedy was top notch, the second hand embarrassment was real, but it made the reading experience feel much more organic idk i just enjoyed myself so much and laughed so hard. 20/10

Trigger warnings: human trafficking and experimentation, self harm and suicide

Third : Lie Huo Jiao Chou

Xuan Ji’s wings of flame are the highlight of the series ok. Almost every single scene has him whipping his wings out just to show off and his boyfriend eats it up everytime ok.

I absolutely love the amnesiac plot line where two past lovers meet again and yet are unable to recognize each other. Yet, slowly, as they spend more and more time together and one of them starts regaining his memories, the pining and longing begins. And oh does Xuan Ji YEARNS in the most beautiful way possible. And once they BOTH regain their memories in full, the angst is just the cherry on top. Being unable to resist each other yet still trying to pull away, the tension, trying to hold back…delicious.

The plot is so easy to keep up with and enjoy too. Both the story taking place 3,000 years ago and the one in present time are equally entertaining, where we see scenes of war and tomb raiding and investigations and a little bit of magic too. The visuals are fantastic, and the contrast between the two parallel settings is new and refreshing as a concept. 8/10

Trigger warning: main characters experience severe child abuse and neglect

Fourth : Guardian

Guardian is the most popular out of priest’s modern novels so i dont feel the need to say much.

Guardian discusses heavy topics such as death and what’s beyond. With an element of mystery where an investigation team search after where dead souls are being stolen to or why some souls are being sucked out of living people, the premises has an element of horror and goth that gives it this edge. Coolest ghost story around.

The main cast is also a hilarious bunch, and you sort of grow attached to the entire office especially a fat black talking cat. 7/10

Trigger warning: death and murder

I hope this is enough to convince you all to check out more and more of pipi’s work. Yes, sha po lang, lord 7, faraway wanderers and fuyao sect are amazing…but if you haven’t read priest’s modern work then yall are missing out ok. that’s it for now xxx

[mythrilthread]

Allow me to present: What We've Got series by @definitionsfading

The complete series (over 300k words) is bound into two volumes. One set of books is for me, and the other was sent as a gift to the author.

Now, this series was on my to-bind list from the moment I learned about the concept of ficbinding. It is the ultimate comfort reading, and I spent many happy hours with it — both while it was still ongoing, and when I reread it (which usualy happens right after I rewatch True Detective season 1). And still I didn't have a clear idea for design when I started, so I reread it again. And by about chapter 27 it came to me like a vision. So there you have it.

I designed the covers using the double exposure effect that made the opening credits to True Detective so mesmerising for me. I wanted to use the motifs that came from Rust's synestesia, and also I am known to be quite heavy-handed with my symbolism, so. Yellows and blues, homes, sunflowers, and of course, stars are important, and there they are. I splashed Northern lights all over Rust because the Alaska chapters take up the majority of the second volume, and also because they feel very hopeful.

I painted the endpapers in watercolor (and let me tell you, the last time I tried my hand at that was 15+ years ago) with them gradually changing colors from yellow in the beginning of volume I to blue in the end of volume II. I used salt and bubblewrap to add extra texture, and that was FUN (even though I'll be reluctunt to trust watercolor paper again any time soon).

For title pages I wanted something simpler but also important, so you have little miss Ghost for volume I, and Rust's new tattoo for volume II.

The rest of the typesetting is pretty minimalist, main body font is my beloved Georgia, and the headers are done in a font that closely resembles the one used for True Detective posters. (But also I did play around with a couple of other fonts for addad effect where I felt it was appropriate.)

And of course, a binding of this story wouldn't be complete without some very nice ribbons (complete with star charms, because the light, my dudes, is winning).

This project fought me every step of the way and it was worth every second. Those four books are the first bookbinding project I did after I moved to a different country, and finding supplies has been a challenge. Also, this was my first time trying a three-piece Bradel binding, using ribbon bookmarks, and trying this particular way of titling the spines, and my second time rounding spines and making Oxford hollows. So it gives me enormous joy that all of it somehow worked. Maybe not perfectly, but very, very well.

[silversoulstardust]

rant to me about lesbian nami

ahsdhjkl every time I think about it I grip my knees a little harder and dig my nails into my skin a little deeper — because how the heck did I miss all the signs while I was growing up?

but now I'm older and perhaps more mature and a little more accepting of my queer identity and I. I'm not missing it anymore.

I've been rewatching and rereading one piece in no particular order and these are some of the evidences I gathered:

there're multiple women throughout the timeline but the most consistent one is vivi. most likely vivi was nami's gay awakening bc before arabasta arc there's not much possible romantic interaction for her.

and no luffy is aroace and zoro and nami have a sibling-like dynamic so the other two of the romance dawn trio aren't possible romantic subjects for nami. usopp has kaya and chopper is baby. sanji is the only one with potential but nami clearly has no interest so there's that. early sign of lesbianism fr, because look at me in the eyes and tell me that sanji; with his good look and good cook and good manners, albeit a bit perverted, is not desirable?

[thecrystalquill]

Hey so I’d just like to address something real quick

I’ve noticed over the last few months that I’m getting fewer and fewer likes on the chapters I’m writing - completely fine if you didn’t like them, I’m not complaining about that.

But some people will like one or two chapters in a series, express their love for it, and ask to be tagged.

I love that people are reading and enjoying my work, but each chapter takes me weeks, if not months, to write and perfect, and it’s honestly a little offensive that some of you won’t give me the bare minimum in return.

Like my recent series, for example, Harry Potter/Addams Family crossover - I rewatched every Addams based media (including the black and white tv show), reread the Philosopher’s Stone, and even bought and read books on novel planning just so I can make this story perfect and interesting and unique.

I’ve been planning this one for years, and it’s disheartening when someone will only like one or two pieces of something that’s taken me so long to create.

Liking, reblogging, and commenting is how you can support and encourage writers on tumblr, and liking is the absolute bare minimum. If you want creators to keep creating then that’s what you need to do.

It’s so hard to find the time to write, my life is busy and stressful enough, but I make an effort to work on them - usually by staying up until 2am and sacrificing my sleep. I’m always tired and stressed out and I have other things I could be doing. But I choose to write for readers on tumblr, and yes I enjoy it, but I at least expect to be given some likes where deserved.

So can you just, please leave a like when you read something that a creator has put so much effort into for you?

[amethystina]

Hi hi <3

I've been rewatching TDJ and rereading the fic (yes I'm on a marathon) and I was seriously wondering how I would feel about the The Trial Live Show (I think that's the name?? I forgot) if I was inside the drama universe. And I admit that despite wanting to believe that I would have a critical opinion about this whole situation, honestly with all the injustice in the world I would probably just be relieved that someone had a effective attitude and influence on everything that was happening.

What would it be your opinion if this all happened irl?

P.S (not related but I saw your other post about how some people have been pressuring – intentionally or not – for you to release the new chapter and complaining that is taking long. I just want to say that your only obligation is to take care of yourself and do what you want to do in your own time and limit. You've already given to us, readers, everything that you can and we appreciate all the effort and love that is put into your works. Thank you very very much.)

Hi! Now that's an interesting question! And it depends a lot on the context, I'd say.

Like, my view on the Live Court Show as the person I am right now is probably very different from how I'd view it if I'd actually grown up in that world. And the difference is a little too big for me to be able to account for all the nuances — and not only because I assume I'd have to change nationality, first of all? xD Which is a pretty big thing since the culture one grows up in can colour one's understanding of the world to a very big extent. My values and experiences would most likely be pretty different.

So while the me right now, in this world, can say that I would be VERY critical of the Live Court Show, I'm not sure I'd feel the same if I was actually IN that world. Me now am concerned not only about the popularity contest aspect that Lawyer Ko pointed out — which would only grow worse and worse the longer the show kept going. Like, people would form a bond with the people they saw the most — i.e. the judges — and not the people involved in the actual trials, who are literal strangers and not as interesting. Aside from the beauty and charm factor that Jin Joo mentions, most people would just end up siding with the familiar players they've formed a relationship with, regardless of the facts presented. If the judges were leaning in one direction, the majority of the public probably would as well.

I mean, just look at Judge Judy. Most people watch it for Judge Judy, not the people who come to her courtroom. They're side characters in her show, even if it's their lives that are being judged (literally).

And, adding to that, the general public aren't experts at law and don't really understand what a lot of the terms mean — or the repercussions of their choices. Their judgement is based almost solely on emotion. And there's a reason why jury members are sometimes excluded because they're seen as too partial, coloured by what the media have been saying or their own beliefs. It wouldn't be a fair and neutral trial. But here you have an entire population who have no such restrictions, nor do they have the time to fully study each piece of evidence or understand what is actually being said. They're asked to make a decision based solely on a couple of colourful PowerPoint presentations — within a couple of minutes, no less.

Like, I'm a librarian, yeah? (though I don't work at a library right now) And trust me when I say that the last thing we'd want is for the patrons to start putting the books back on the shelves on their own. They mean well, but sometimes there's stuff you have to do with the books before they can be reshelved, not to mention that most patrons don't actually understand the classification system. That's the librarian's job. So if the patrons were the ones to put the books back, a lot of them would end up in the wrong place and it'd be a complete mess within a couple of weeks. No one would find anything. And the librarians would now have to spend a significant amount of time reorganising and moving misplaced books, which is just terribly inefficient. Having patrons involved in the process actually makes it harder than if we'd just done it ourselves from the beginning.

And there's a danger of something similar happening with a court where the entire population can be on the jury. What if they make a mistake? Because they misjudged the situation? Or they couldn't be given all the evidence during the show's runtime? Also, while the drama never mentioned it, appeals are a thing. Do you really think that Ju Il Do didn't hire someone to start on his appeal as soon as he calmed down from the shock of the verdict in that first episode? Would the Live Court Show handle appeals, too? Or would that be dumped into the laps of other courts? And just how much weight would the people's judgement have in comparison to a regular court, which spends a lot more time scrutinising the evidence?

(I might be thinking too much about this, I know xD)

BUT, at the same time, it's easy for me — the person I am right now — to say that, because I'm privileged as fuck. I grew up poor, sure, (and perhaps have more accumulated trauma than average) but I'm comfortably middle class now. Adding to that, I'm white, living in Sweden, and am pretty comfortable with the gender I was assigned at birth. The worst forms of oppression I've faced are misogyny, some casual fatphobia, and the fear of homophobia (with me being married to another woman and all). But do note that I say "fear of homophobia," not actual homophobia. So, really, I'm not in a position to judge, ESPECIALLY not the ones living in the world they portray in The Devil Judge.

In fact, that's something I kept telling my wife as I explained the drama to her. My morals right now are not applicable to a world like that. I think the Live Court Show has a lot of flaws and Yo Han's actions shouldn't be condoned (cool motive — still murder) but if I had gone through the economic crisis they were experiencing? And the oppression they face every day? And probably wouldn't have been able to marry my wife since it seems to be a pretty conservative society?

I can't promise I wouldn't have been queueing up to join Yo Han xD

I DO think I'd still be hesitant to fully support the Live Court Show, though, and see the flaws I mentioned above (plus all the others I don't have time to get into right now) BUT my feeling of helplessness might just overpower that, had I grown up like Jin Joo or Ga On. That's not to say that I'd necessarily think it was okay (especially the outright illegal parts), but I could maybe look the other way, just because I was so frustrated.

So it's difficult to say for sure, but I'm fairly confident my stance would be different if I had grown up in a world like that. Right now, I have so much privilege that it's easy for me to take the high road and promote the morally upright solution, but if I had suffered through what they have? Not sure I would be as forgiving. And I think that's natural. There's only so much injustice we humans can endure before we start gathering up the pitchforks.

That said, I think it's still important to be aware of what is morally right and wrong. We might not always be able to follow what we know is the right path — that's human, especially when we are oppressed — just don't forget your way back.

So yeah. I hope that's a somewhat satisfying reply xD

And thank you so much for your kind words 💜 I know all that on an intellectual level, but it's not always easy to remember. Especially when I would genuinely love to be able to post more often and it frustrates me that I can't. I'm just as bummed out as you readers, believe me on that.

But, on that subject, I'm actually looking into decreasing my hours at work, at least temporarily, to hopefully make me less exhausted (which is another way I'm incredibly privileged — I can actually ASK for something like that (though I need a doctor's approval first)). So, maybe, I'll get some room to breathe and rest soon. Fingers crossed!

[bumblingbabooshka]

Hello!! I was rewatching s4 ep 15 (Hunters) and I remembered something I was thinking about when I made the When Memories Snow piece!! When we see the letter from T’pel I was actually thinking that scene might have been set before voyager received the next letters!! And that since receiving it he has been rereading it!! Perhaps daily!! Not knowing if he would ever receive another word from her!! I hope this small and somewhat insignificant detail gives you the necessary dose of Tuvok angst that is a crucial part of every healthy diet!! :D

With how Tuvok is:

I can 100% picture him going so far as to memorize it unconsciously <3 which he discovers one day by accident and is mildly perturbed by even as it comforts him. Even if the PADD is destroyed he'll never lose the letter which is good but perhaps this is indicative of a deeper...no. He's fine. It's probably just a sign of his higher Vulcan intellect. <- Incorrect! It's because you read that letter ten million times in an unconscious attempt to comfort yourself <3

[angel-with-paper-wings]

for the truth & dare ask game: 🎱, 🛼, 🥑, 🍬, 🦴 :)

Thank you for these!! Sorry it took me so long to reply, these past few days have been busy for me. Thanks for your patience 🙏

🎱 post your AO3 total stats 

I still can’t believe these stats are all from my fics… thank you to everyone who has read my fics and contributed to these numbers, I’m endlessly grateful to every last one of you 🥹

User Subscriptions: 13

Kudos: 455

Comment Threads: 195

Bookmarks: 144

Subscriptions: 94

Word Count: 181,154

Hits: 14,330

🛼 describe your latest wip with five emojis

I’ll do the latest chapter of my fic since that’s the last thing I finished: 😰🎶👗🧺📔

🥑 you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help?

Hmm… first of all, you can’t prove anything 🤐 Second of all, I would probably contact @thelastsliceofcheese since I actually know her irl and she can help me hide the body and maybe even act as an alibi. And I believe @jennyfair7 once said that she was a lawyer(?) so I will need her help too.

🍬 post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

This is kind of about both Christine and Erik, but I think Christine could have become a great singer even without “the Angel of Music” as her teacher. In the Leroux novel, her voice was said to have sounded like “a rusty hinge” before she started receiving lessons from the mysterious voice. Does this mean Erik has some divine power over her voice and he gave her the talent to sing well, and that if she leaves him then all her musical talent will leave as well??

In my opinion, OF COURSE NOT. At the end of the day, Erik does NOT have superpowers and he’s just a normal guy being a normal music teacher giving her lessons in normal opera technique. The only way Erik improved Christine’s voice beyond a technical level was the *idea* that the Angel of Music was teaching her. Ideas and belief are so powerful: we need to believe we can do something in order to actually do it. Since Christine *believed* that she was being trained by a supernatural force, she made “supernatural” progress. If it is true that Christine was not able to sing as well after she leaves with Raoul in the end (I don’t think we know that for sure), then the only reason for that was because the events she lived through in the story were harrowing and emotionally traumatizing for her (which we DO know for sure). She still has the ability and technique to sing well, but her mental and emotional fortitude has been so damaged that she can no longer sing with the same passion behind it.

🦴 Is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?

The fanfic I’m writing now is heavily based on the interpretations of Erik and Christine from the 25th anniversary performance of the ALW musical. Whenever I’m having a hard time writing, I always rewatch it in order to get a refresher on their dynamic. Rereading parts of the original Leroux novel as well as other recordings of the musical help out a lot too!

[batcrooks]

THE BATCROOKS AWARDS 2023

This year, I kept track of every piece of media I consumed for the whole year. I didn't keep track of individual Youtube videos (which I watched hundreds of, they're my main background noise), but I did track every Book, Video Game, TV Show/Web Series, and Movie. Here are my BEST OF 2023 (year of release may vary).

Best Movie: Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse I only actually saw 3 new release movies this year: Spider-verse, Barbie, and The Boy and the Heron. So the competition wasn't very fierce, but I was glad to sneak Heron in there at the end just to make sure (I found it very pretty, but too nonsensical and weirdly paced.) Spider-verse was a little disappointing (toooo long) but it was definitely the funnest new movie I saw this year.

Best TV Show: Silo I saw a couple actual TV shows this year, but for pure fun had watching and theorizing, Silo wins. Is it the actual best TV of the year? Almost definitely not. But these are my awards so it wins. You can't leave the silo!!!!

Best Web Series: Game Changer Season 5 I'm not sure if I can properly justify the category difference between Silo (on Apple+) and Game Changer; both are technically web series. But I watched Silo on a TV, and it just seems more like a TV show. So I have awarded Best Web Series to Game Changer, because I like it just a little more than Make Some Noise. I also watched a lot of Dimension 20 this year for the first time, but they're not 2023. I'm being wishy washy on the category requirements lol.

Best Video Game: Baldur's Gate 3 This game was so good at one point I was playing two saves simultaneously, just for fun. I don't think I can say anything that hasn't been said about it before lol. And it was MULTIPLAYER. Sourdeer and I played this game all the way through TWICE. We finished it the first time and then spent like 4 days trying to find something else to play before deciding we just wanted to play it again, evil-style.

Best Video Game I Didn't Directly Play: The Curse of the Golden Idol A lot of (usually bad) video games I experience through "Cat Plays a Game" and its twin show "Sourdeer Plays a Game"; the hit show streaming exclusively on discord between my friends lol. Sour played this one, technically, although as an asymmetric multiplayer experience it's hard to beat. I want there to be five million games just like this one. I wish I could wipe my memory and do it again. We already devoured the DLC. There's a sequel coming out thank god.

Best Video Game I Played All By My Lonesome: Pentiment I don't tend to play a lot of single-player video games due to lack of time mostly, but this year I managed to play Pentiment, an incredible game that really played well with the weird amount of knowledge I have about the time period and setting of the game from reading The Pillars of the Earth and its sequels. It was completely engrossing and I will probably play it again some day despite its pretty slow pace. I know I can't save everyone. But maybe I can try.

Youtuber of the Year: Jenny Nicholson I rewatched a ton of her videos this year and joined her Patreon so that I could watch the huge backlog of "ramble" videos she has. There are TWO sequels to the Evermore video in there! Hours and hours of entertainment that makes me wish I could experience more weird theme parks.

Best Book(s): The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik The last one came out in September 2022 but this is a "non-reread, new to me" category, not a new release category. Novik's Temeraire series is one of my favorites of all time, and Spinning Silver is also really good, but even still I was wary to start what initially seemed like just a snarkier, edgy magical boarding school series. But the mechanics of the world-building and the characters really won me over quick, and this has ended up being another of my favorite series.

This spreadsheet has the full 2023 list if anyone wants to see/judge me/discuss video games or books: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X7u2F_9FSvvyys5v006eQg1hIvx0bT3QuLDgy_TJasw/edit?usp=sharing

[ketsuarting]

thank you pookie for tagging me, big digital smoochies to you <3 @dayochoco uhhhh Get to know you game lezzgo;

Last song listened to:

"ネヴァモア" / nevermore by sasalasa

Actually such a banger, I have been looping this for the past three days I am obsessed.

Currently watching: Hazbin Hotel, kind offf?????? I have stopped properly consuming media, and started to just skip through episodes ten times until i have the whole plot together. I know. Horrid. I love the show tho and i am going to rewatch it with all my friends and draw fanart and I am actually writing a fanfic about it as we speak hihi

Currently reading: Coraline by @neil-gaiman, holy shit I can tag the man that's crazy, right? I loved the movie since i watched it as a lil diaper baby, and while i struggle with print media, i've been MEANING to read it. It's definitly on my nightstand. I've been rereading the first twenty pages a lot. Again, I struggles consuming media the traditional way grr

Currently obsessed with: One Piece and Hazbin Hotel, specifically OC's i made for both verses. Escapism is strong. Also! Crocheting and sewing have me in a deathgrip and I have been obsessed with tea for the past five years now, and I will continue to be obsessed with it for the forseeable future! Yippeeee! Boop ur snoot, ur turn, you've been tagged, SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES MEHAHAHAHAH @bloodofthepen @thegoodviolinist @mutatedleemon @flowerb-0y @1merfairy @1darkflame7