#i did have something spoiled for me already relating to a character but i literally already had deep conspiracies about it lol

[famewolf]

looks like i might 100% the Veilguard achievements my first playthrough

[makethosenarratorsfight]

UNRELIABLE NARRATORS; SIDE C

*NOTE; propaganda is out of order due to poll length!

Eugenides Propaganda:

the entire plot hinges on a detail he lets the reader (and every other character) assume is true. I don't want to spoil it because it's a really fun reveal but he is lying from the first second he appears on the page and you can't trust him to tell the full truth about ANYTHING related to himself and his goals. he mostly does it to keep his advantage and not have other characters be suspicious of him but it's just so fun when you realise he's been lying the whole time

Harrowhark Propaganda:

She gave herself a lobotomy and gives completely incorrect flashbacks to the previous book. Things that straight up did not happen. Gaslight gatekeep girlboss.

She’s schizophrenic (confirmed by the author) and also lives in a world with necromancy and ghostly revenants. She’s not just an unreliable narrator for readers, she’s an unreliable narrator of her own internal experience. She knows this and has to work with people around her to compensate for it. Descent into spoilerville below. Seriously Do Not Read if you want to read these books. There’s also the little matter about how she is *not actually the narrator* of a huge chunk of the story that we are initially led to believe is being told from her perspective.

(Spoilers) Holy shit she is THE most unreliable narrator. This gremlin gave herself a lobotomy so that she could forget about Gideon Nav, the most important person in her life (for magic soul-preserving reasons) so half of the second book in the series is spent gaslighting the reader about a book they just read. She comes up with an entire alternate version of the events of the first book in the series to carefully exclude any mentions of Gideon, and any time someone says ‘Gideon’ in front of her she LITERALLY has a stroke and/or an intercranial hemorrhage as her brain overwrites the word with someone else’s name. God occasionally intentionally triggers her memory revision to get out of difficult conversations. She also hallucinates ALL the time (unrelated to the lobotomy). She shows up at her frenemy’s room in the middle of the night (think little kid stumbling to their parents’ room and saying “I frew up”) to ask her to come check underneath her bed for the corpse that’s been wandering the space station. When frenemy checks underneath the bed, frenemy claims not to see anything, and Harrow is such an unbelievably unreliable narrator that it’s an open question in the fandom as to whether frenemy genuinely didn’t see the corpse or if frenemy was just yanking Harrow’s chain. Harrow is also haunted by a literal ghost that fucks up her already fucked up alternate history. Girlie will pick up a piece of paper and read from it the most violent and haunting piece of prose ever composed, when in reality all that’s written on the paper is the elementary school Superman S*. I am NOT joking that is a real goddamn scene. Harrow was created to win this poll. TLDR; she has brain damage and memory loss, she hallucinates, and is also haunted. * https://twitter.com/vestenet/status/1301012651145859072

Girl is so unreliable, she unreliably tells me events I was there for!!! She's retelling the previous book and I'm like "girlie, this is absolutely not how it happened". Also, she gave herself a DIY lobotomy, it has to impact your memory center I guess

She literally had a lobotomy, how can she be reliable

More Propaganda under cut!

Harrowhark is simply the unreliable narrator of all time. Can’t remember shit because of a lifetime of trauma? Check. Maybe lying to yourself and those around you a bit? Most definitely. Being gaslit by the survivors you depend on to orient you to reality? For sure. How about a little bit of canon schizophrenia? She’s got it all. Ghosts? Or something? Spirits that are attached in some way to your body and are not perceivable by others? Sure, sure! But how about spirits that are attached in some way to your body and are gonna use you to hijack others’ bodies and maybe kill God, too? Absolutely. Wee bit of DIY brain surgery? If it would make you an unreliable narrator, friends, then Harrowhark Nonagesimus has been there, been subjected to that!

Okay I don't know that much about this series since I haven't convinced myself to read all of the first book, but this is my blorbo in law so I'd feel bad not spreading propaganda (all of what I'm saying is something I've read, as to prevent myself from straight up submitting misinformation). So all of Harrow's unreliable narration takes place in the second book, Harrow the Ninth. Basically, without her even seemingto acknowledge it, Harrow's brain is very fucked up during this book, to the point where even she's not sure how reliable her narrative is. There's many questions left unclear as a result of her fucked up little brain, like what's real, what's fake, whether we can trust her judgement, whether even she can trust her own judgement, whether her original cavalier is dead or not (Harrow is convinced she is), etc. Let me tell you, I adore unreliable narrators who aren't even that sure if they're reliable. I have yet to eat that trope up here in this circumstance, but this poll might not run again by the time I do, so for now, here's my messed up blorbo in law.

OKAY SO REMEMBER MY GIDEON SUBMISSION? HARROW DOESN’T! SPOILERS AHEAD BECAUSE SHE LOBOTOMIZED HERSELF TO FORGET GIDEON BECAUSE THAT’S A HEALTHY WAY TO GRIEVE AND THEN IN THE ONLY PARTS OF HER BOOK THAT SHE NARRATES (THE REVISED CANAAN HOUSE PARTS) IT’S LITERALLY A ROOM FULL OF GHOSTS HER BRAIN SUMMONED TO DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT SHE CUT HER BRAIN IN HALF TO FORGET GIDEON. she also is a) haunted and b) psychotic, experiencing hallucinations her entire life of both the ghosts haunting her and less supernatural hallucinations- bells tolling, bones rattling, her parents (some of the only dead people NOT haunting her), etc! in the revised history of canaan house that her brainghosts invent, she brings along someone who knows about her psychosis to help reality check her when she tells him go! her caregiver as a child and support when she got older, crux, is a horrible man- but at one point, when someone other than harrow is in harrow’s body and tells him “i am not harrowhark, i am sorry,” his response is simply “aye, you’ve said that before too. who are you then, if not my lady harrowhark?” showing his familiarity with her psychosis and his love for the child he wouldn’t dare see as a daughter. but enough about that lets talk about her unreliable narration! she lies about her feelings of course but she also simply hides the truth from everyone, all the time, compulsively. also literally the entire section of her book that she narrates is a lie she’s telling US about a lie she’s telling HERSELF and no one understands even a little bit of the truth until like the last act of the book. queen.

[ryntaia]

Caroline and Justine -- "In the End, Your Wishes Became One"

So I don't know if this has been talked about -- I'm sure it HAS, P5 vanilla released almost a decade ago now -- but I haven't seen anyone talk about it so I want to talk about it I guess? Just indulge my fandom nonsense, loves. And don't worry this isn't some 'Caroline and Justine bad' post. Ha ha jokes on you this is a Joker and Akechi post!

Oh yeah and uh, spoilers. Proceed with caution. For as much as you can spoil yourself for a game released in like 2016. And prepare yourself for some high octane fandom dorkiness. I'm afraid Persona happens to be where I get the most over the top.

So something interesting I noticed about Justine and Caroline is that thematically, in relation to the main story, they essentially act as companions to the rigged game being performed by Yaldabaoth. I mean, duh, right. Obviously they were split to make Lavenza more compliant to his whim, but it's interesting how their personalities turned out when this happened. One is more quiet and restrained. One is openly tsundere and aggressive.

So...it's not just me thinking that this is meant to be an allegory to Joker and Akechi, right? The two extremes chosen for the rigged game performed by Yaldabaoth? Literally the opposites meant to go against each other to decide the fate of humanity in a game rigged against it? One just happens to be quieter and takes their time to think about things and ask questions, while the other is excessively aggressive, proud, and masking the self while barreling forward without reasonable questions?

Now these are obviously extreme interpretations of the characters in question. Joker is a bit more forward and bold than Justine could ever hope to be, and Akechi is considerably better at masking his disdain and spite in comparison to Caroline. But I think it's worth putting into account that Justine and Caroline are purposely presented as incomplete. They were torn apart to serve the purposes of a callous God, and needed to work as one in order to defy that purpose. Wait SHIT--

"In the end, your wishes became one."

Yeah.

I guess they did.

Even in the most literal sense.

Now obviously this is all headcanon and speculation but I do think that Persona 5 was made with the details in mind. I don't think there being two Velvet Attendants was an accident, nor do I think it's an accident that they just happen to correlate with the 'thesis and antithesis' characters as presented in the story as a whole. There's a lot of casual drop references to their roles in the overarching story all over the place--to all the cast, really.

Also I'm not claiming this correlates with any actual story beat--I'm quite sure it does not. Though I could be forgetting something. It's a rather long game.

My apologies if I did! As well as if this topic has been well trend upon already and I just somehow managed to miss it. It's been a few years since I've talked about Persona. Have another Lavenza.

[pruneunfair]

Things I have been told in internet arguments on reddit and Instagram.

1: "It's dark romance, if you can't handle it, don't read it"

You might be shocked to hear me say this but to a certain level, I agree but it depends. As the internet is, there is tons of gross media out there, it's all over the place and a lot of times, the best you can do is ignore it. This is the case for a lot of miscellaneous fetish porn you would find on an adult site that usually isn't well-known enough to deserve anyone's ire or everyone already agrees it's awful. HOWEVER, What I specialize in is awful media that is praised to no end despite being awful along with a few positive reviews and humor based posts because not everyone who follows me is gonna wanna watch me bitch about something over and over.

theres a big difference between: A pornographic story fetishizing abusive behavior that is either despised or forgotten to time and a generally awful story that is still praised to high end because it meets the ideas of what an "Adult" relationship actually is. If something like Cry or better yet beg or any other average booktok themed manhwa continues being glamourized as romantic I will say something about it. I'm not going to not criticize something for being gross just because I'm not seeing it through your little dark romance brain.

By the way, those abuse fetish stories aren't even real dark romance, dark romance is an actual genre that is all about the realistic and even sometimes messy parts of a relationship that most fluff romance don't look over into. Sometimes there can even be abuse in these stories BUT in an actual dark romance, nothing is being glamourized as good if it's generally repulsive, it simply wishes to tell a story about a relationship when the honeymoon phase is over.

2: "Your just karma farming!"

You know what? Yeah, I am, and I'll keep doing it.

Why do I say I'll keep doing it? Cause it's literally my past time, that's my thing. I read garbage, I sometimes read it again just to make sure I am indeed seeing that shit right, and then I complain about what I hated about it or I gush about what I did like about it (usually the characters) and I make random villainess posts on the side.

Again, why should I stop critiquing something gross and defended just because it'd be "Karma farming"

3: "It's just fiction."

This isn't entirely wrong either. Even though I would say I believe fiction can affect reality, that doesn't mean I think that say, if someone watches one of the Halloween movies they're gonna have urges to want to kill their sibling. A good example of dark fiction is Lolita, a book famously known for its very detailed subject matter related to pedophilia and grooming, ignoring the movies that missed the entire point of the original book, Lolita is a story that shames this behavior, you are not once expected to root for Humbert as a person even as he tries to manipulate the narrative into a way that absolves him of any blame. See? That right there is a good example of dark fiction that is actually a good and classic read.

Another example is Freida McFaddens housemaid trilogy, the first book starts off as a typical trashy "I slept with my boss and his rich wife is a crazy bitch" booktok story you'd find in target but by the time you reach to the halfway point, you are thrown dark twists and turns about what really happened. (Honestly, I don't want to spoil anymore because the housemaid is one of my favorite books I've ever read and I cannot recommend it more)

Both of those stories have the same subject matter: Abuse, but they aren't trying to peddle that abuse as romantic, they show it how it is, abuse.

This is different from countless other stories like there are no saints, try begging, cry or better yet beg, abandoned empress, Haunting Adeline, who stole the empress, Bastian, and I'm not even close to finishing up the list. Lolita doesn't try to justify Humberts disgusting behavior with "He just doesn't know how to express his emotions" The housemaid doesn't try to give Millie a plot induced lobotomy to go in a certain direction. Those stories on the other hand find an excuse to justify the behavior of abusers in order to go in a certain ship direction, usually because the author doesn't want to cut their losses when they realized the love interest is a terrible person or because it's simply a degrading kink put on the shelves of a Barnes and noble.

And when stories like this end up popularized on tiktok, webtoon and Instagram, young teenage girls are going to see that. Of course, while not ever teenage girl is going to believe it, many still will. That the only way they can ever be loved is if someone rapes them or if they are locked away from society, that abuse doesn't matter as long as whoever is withholding you is giving you expensive gifts and paying your rent. It essentially can damage their way thinking, sure, it's rare for this to happen if they read one of these books but if this is all that's being promoted to young teenage girls, it will start to prey on insecurities and distort the view of a healthy relationship.

4: " I'm still gonna read *insert manhwa here*"

Okay, have fun.

5: "But this villainess did this bad thing! Why are you justifying them?"

First of all: If I were justifying villainesses for being villainesses, I would adore Dodolea from my in laws are obsessed with me.

I don't make my villainess centered posts to convince people they did no wrong, I just like evil ladies and believe they deserve to be respected as characters the same way a heroine is respected.

Plus if thousands of people can defend Matthias for having expectations of being perfect and just being a man in love despite raping Layla, then I think I'm allowed to say that Stella was done dirty by the writers of helluva boss.

6: "You just don't get how complex the story is!"

I don't have to immediately understand every nook and cranny of a story to know that rape is wrong, nothing justifies rape. It's not like justifying murder with self defense or stealing to survive another day, rape is one of the only crimes that can only be done to have power over another person.

Complex stories with this topic can be done well, Lolita was one I already mentioned but we also have stories like speak and not sew-wicked stepmother that take the topic of sexual assault well. You can make a collection of several good plots including sexual assault AS LONG as it is both A: not written to be romantizced and B: you do your research so it has both an effect on either the plot or the character, that way it won't feel like soulless shock value, don't forget too that the victim in question should still be written as a person and not just a victim, give them so character outside of their trauma.

And as you can probably tell, a lot of media don't even follow rule A. So yeah, you can give your male lead the saddest, most heart string pulling backstory the mind can manifest and it still wouldn't justify him molesting someone just because he's unable to properly express his feelings.

7: "Why are your posts so centered around villainesses?"

8: "It's a fantasy/historical story so *insert problematic subject matter here* is okay"

Admittedly I can see the logic. I actually used this logic myself as a younger helluva boss fan to defend the shows excessive use of swearing and sex jokes with "They're demons so of course they are going to be crude." And theoretically, this logic could work under the right circumstances. If there was no modern morality being inserted along with the slavery or child marriage and if the art can still give off the intentions that you aren't supposed to see this as okay then yes, you can make an interesting story.

The reason this logic barely works is because modern is usually inserted within these plots. For example, plenty of manhwa in historical settings have slavery, sexual assault, workplace abuse etc. All of that is excused by "She's a noble in the 1600s, this is normal." While said story would condemn cheating even though mistresses and concubines were common.

[leechiourdes]

random dumb shit about my I Eat Pasta for Breakfast reboot that I wanna talk about but also I can't really shoe into the actual comic

(if you wanna read it and you don't know me yet its here: @everydayisquiet)

Lazari has a slight southern accent. This is because her mother, Isabella Loretta Swansong was born and raised in Georgia. Even if she lived in Oregon during her adulthood with her daughter, she never interacted with others much and didn't allow TV in her house, so Lazari ended up picking up her accent and mixing it with the general American accent she picked up from the kids that she lived next to. Every time Lazari mentions her mom, she calls her "Momma" in my head, but I change it to something easier to remember like "Mom" or "Mama" because sometimes I'm just really pressed for time. If the comic ever gets dubbed (which would be absolutely insane I would be able to die happily after that) Laz's voice actor would have to put on that slight southern twang for it to sound like how I think she would sound.

The butterfly wall in Slender's house was a very deliberate choice and the reason why its there is very near and dear to my little heart

this came from two different inspirations: 1.) When I was younger, I heard a scary story called "The Red Butterfly." I believe it was also a creepypasta, but it never got that big. The story follows a little girl who's mother works at a butterfly enclosure. While she was at her mom's workplace, she was told that she can chase any butterfly she wants, except the red ones. The girl ignores the warning and chases the red butterflies anyway, but on the car ride home, she is followed by a red butterfly with human eyes, watching her. The butterfly continues to follow her for the rest of her life. I was already shit scared of every single insect, including butterflies, ESPECIALLY the ones with the wings that look like eyes, so this really spooked me. It really stuck with me, and so I wanted to pay homage to it and have it in the background.

2.) Chibi-Works/Tobi (the original creator of iepfb) made a reboot of her own some time ago, with all the creepypasta characters that weren't her OCs swapped out for more original characters, and in that reboot, Slender's replacement has this weird, butterfly-related ability

The butterflies are really cool, but I'm using the actual Slenderman in this comic, so I wanted to also include an homage to them. I ended up killing two birds with one stone with the wall display.

I'll continue to put up hints and Easter Eggs and foreshadowing onto the walls, so look out for those, because I usually, if not always, put up details like wall decorations for an important reason.

Jay and Alex from MH will eventually show up, and they will be important, I PROMISE.

Ben is British, this was an impulse addition. I did not think this through before turning him British.

Zalgo has literally hundreds and hundreds of children, and he's making them for a reason. But if I elaborate, I'll start spoiling.

If you guys want me to continue with random bullshit about this world and characters that don't matter at all then please tell me

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

My thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie

I don’t know if I liked it as much as the original films (maybe Mockingjay 1 & 2 as they are pretty emotionally draining), but I still enjoyed it.

I think where it fell a little flat for me is 1. The beginning was a bit slow (tbh I only really started getting interested when Lucy Gray stuck that snake down that girl’s dress & even then I enjoyed the story more when the setting changed from the Capitol to the district) 2. I knew Snow would survive 3. I’d already been spoiled online for a lot of stuff that happens & 4. while I know the director did his best to make Snow as “likeable” as he could for as long as possible, even before he started getting “a little too comfortable” with killing & snitching I didn’t find him as sympathetic as Katniss or Peeta (but that is probably again down to the fact that I know what he goes onto do & there’s no real way around that), this made engaging with him difficult for me.

The world is fascinating. Getting to see all the new locations we never had access to before as well as old locations now in a totally different light (for example district 12 which, while still clearly suffering, seemed like such a bustling industrial town compared to how it is in Katniss’s time). It might have a much more retro aesthetic but there's also just a more vibrant, natural, wild & lawless atmosphere to this movie compared to the others in the franchise. The whole scope of the film just felt more cinematic then I remember the others being yet also weirdly intimate. Maybe because it was one contained story & we knew the main character’s fate from the start. I also loved the title cards signifying the start of each section of the story like from the books & wished they'd done something similar for the other films. It just added a certain flair to the whole thing. Almost gave it the vibe of a tragic play.

The costuming was great. The bright red of the academy uniforms.  Flickerman’s snazzy suits. Snow’s dapper black & white outfit. Both peace keeper uniforms (despite one of them giving very ‘1930’s Germany’ vibes) looked great. Grandma might have been a bigot, but at least she was well dressed. Everything Dr Gaul wore (except the top that looked like a used tampon, lol) was exquisite. The main ladies of fashion, Tigris & Lucy Gray slayed. Our Future Capitol stylist looked like some regal yet exotic bird & Miss Survivor was giving Bohemian, country girl realness the entire time she was on screen. Even the extras were serving (like that random couple Snow walked past on his way to the reaping ceremony).

The music was amazing. Every song that played was fantastic (shout out to Olivia for her end credit contribution). The lyrics & instrumentation were beautiful & my god does Rachel Zegler have pipes! Anyone who says the singing scenes are cringy is just stupid like I’m sorry you can’t appreciate art. Also, the words ‘ballad’ & ‘songbirds’ are literally in the title. Plus, Lucy Gray is from the poorest district, so what exactly do those people want her to do in her free time? She can’t exactly hop on an X-box for a few hours. Not too mention that (as the offspring of someone who’s musically inclined) I can tell you, it’s completely realistic for a musician to use their craft to help them deal with trauma & Lucy Gray clearly had more than her fair share of that.

The Grandma'am helped to paint a sadly very realistic background for Snow. As who among us hasn’t met at least one delusional old person who thinks that their/their group’s suffering (regardless of the severity of it or the reason behind their former/newer status in society) means that no one else are deserving of even the tiniest shred of humanity & there are some people who are unlucky enough to not only be related to these people but be raised by them.

Hunter schafer as Tigris is clearly the superior Snow when it comes to things like empathy & overall mental stability but I do kind of wish they’d been more for her to do. Credit where credit is due though her & Tom did actually look like they could be related & I did buy their familial bond (which makes her appearance in Mockingjay so much sadder in hindsight).

Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom was a bit of a mix for me just due to his purpose as a character & the limit of film as a form of media. Like sure the audience know that Snow’s going to become an irredeemable monster in the end but without a window into his mind it really does just seem like the Dean is just out to get him & even when we find out why it seems kind of unfair. Like sure his dad sucked but haven’t the Games shown that blaming children for violence caused by others is unjust (& like ok he hates Coriolanus & probably the grandma but Tigris hadn’t done anything to deserve living in poverty, as she can’t control who she’s related to)? Plus, it felt like he could have at least tried taking Snow under his wing at some point to try to hinder Dr Gual’s influence. Saying all of that, though, Peter Dinklage is great at playing an addict with depression & the idea that some drunken rambling could lead to such long-lasting suffering is terrifying. Also its pretty realistic that living with that kind of guilt & in such a cruel environment for that long would make most people jaded & bitter, even if they did have good intentions.

Omg we finally get a Mayor family on screen & they’re assholes! Madge would be so disappointed 😭. It was interesting to see how harsh & overall “boot licky” the mayor & his family seemed compared to decades later, which makes sense as the war wasn’t that long ago for them so the dad probably felt more incentive to align himself with the Capitol as well as not feeling very connected to the district people as 12’s decline probably didn’t fully set in until they really started running low on coal & Snow became president (oh I just know he wanted to blow that district off the map 😆). I also wouldn’t put it past Billy to come up with some sob story of how he really does love Mayfair but wicked Lucy Gray is somehow preventing them from being together. Still no excuse to try to send her to her death twice in one week, though. Definitely not a girl’s girl.

Ok, so a liar. Cheat. Drunk & someone who hits women. Is there anything good about Billy Taupe? Also, trying to get your ex back, while your current girlfriend is literally standing right next to you? Dude, have some god damn back bone! You made a choice, now stick to it. Also, fumbling Lucy Gray, for a girl like that? What’s it like having no brains or taste? Well, too bad, coz you’re stuck with her forever now, lol.

Viola Davies, the actress that you are. What else is there to say? Dr Gaul is almost comic book levels of insane. Like she is how the Right see women in STEM, on crack! I don’t know what she did to get into character, but whatever it was, it worked.

Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius Flickerman is a very interesting addition to the story despite playing such a small & seemingly insignificant role. He is strange in how unthreatening he is while also extremely blasé about the abhorrent violence he witnesses that it’s as funny as it is disturbing. Making him come across as  more human yet harsher than his son, who at least pretends to care about the tributes (in a very Capitol way, obviously but still). There’s also a polish & confidence to Tucci’s performance that I think Schwartzman did a great job of avoiding copying (despite knowing what audiences were probably expecting) because not only are their characters in entirely different stages of their careers but the whole ethos of the Hunger Games is different in Snow’s youth than it is in Katniss’s. Caesar is a well established presenter & during his time, the games have always been a success (minus the year with the tundra) that the entire Capitol is invested in & seemingly in support of. On the other hand Lucretius had the unique task of not only coming into a job like this with zero experience (I mean imagine going from announcing the weather to presenting the fucking hunger games) but also there were no vibes to try to emulate let alone guidelines to follow because he truly was the first person to do this. On top of that, the "event" his presenting has been panned for years as both boring & unethical. Schwartzman brought a slightly awkward, experimental, yet try hard vibe (like a comedian who's desperate to get a laugh) that I think worked wonderfully for the character.

Tom Blyth's performance was great & he was visually perfect for a young Snow (the power of a good wig! Who knew lol). Even having the cool, analytical stare of Donald Sutherland, down pat. While his appearance was very Eminem during his peacekeeping days, his realisation in the cabin and subsequent breakdown in the woods were crazy. There was so much tension between him & Rachel in that scene that for a second, it literally felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. I could almost hear the record scratch for both of them, & all that building paranoia finally coming to a sudden crescendo in the way that it did? Pure cinema!

Josh Rivera, as Sejanus, was honestly a mix for me. Obviously, I agree with his morals, but his way of going about it did seem a little dumb. However I do think it’s pretty realistic that a teenager, especially a rich one, would be rather naive. Also I’ve heard that he’s smarter in the book & I think at times my frustration with him is more just down to the fact that I’m seeing him from Snow’s point of view. Meaning scenes that would be portrayed as noble in any other film instead come across as almost painfully inconvenient because the focus is always on how they affect Snow rather than the actual victims of the situation. Lastly, sorry, Snowjanus shippers, I just don’t see it (especially on Snow’s end), but whatever floats your boat.

Rachel Zegler played Lucy Gray with the perfect mix of natural charm & emotional vulnerability with clear pride in her culture & a refusal to let the world around her change who she is. Yet there was also an air of mystery & a subtle resilience to her that makes her potentially surviving out in the woods for years without being detected actually believable (though I don’t buy the theory that she went on to become president Coin). Definitely the highlight of the movie for me.

PS. I'd love to know what you think of my review in the comments/tags & am open to criticism (as long as it's respectful) just remember that I'm only talking about the movie so please don't reference anything spersific to the book.

[silent-neutral]

About SH2 Pyramid Head symbolism and the remake PT.1

--mentions of sexual violence, suicidal themes and just overall mental illness-- please PLEASE DON'T READ BEYOND THE CUT IF YOU PLAN TO PLAY THIS GAME BUT KNOW NOTHING ABOUT SILENT HILL 2!! There will be spoilers in this ''essay'' and I don't want to spoil such a great game for anyone starting fresh and blind, because that'd be the perfect way to start this game imho - your feeling toward this game will be heightened without knowing too much, plus forming your own view and having questions about it is also cool.

(***Had to cut this down into parts after watching 10+ hours of the remake and so much watching gave me a headache that felt like a literal hangover the next day ugh I felt like James lol otherwise it's too many topics and words in 1 post. This way it might be easier to organize them. )

------------------------------- My mind was blown recently. Ig I'm posting this to clarify more to myself than anything, but I had to search up Ito's recent comments about certain scenes with Pyramid Head. (ahem, the first cutscenes specifically). I've always had my own ideas and guesses about specific details playing as James, but after some clarifications on Ito's part about Pyramid Head.. it kind of jarred me, but at the same time explained other things and now my initial view of this game and its characters are validating my assumptions.. And if you knew about this already, well good on you.... Ito tweets so much sometimes, info like this gets buried and I had no idea until a week or so ago lol. So in light of SH2R releasing, I conveniently found out about some crucial details that would *also* inadvertently explain my (petty) gripes about SH2R. I watched the entire playthrough and my views have slightly altered (mostly positive, as this game was actually very faithful to the original imo). but for now I give you...a very wordy analysis on some themes of SH2. Excuse my rambly thought process though, it's very hard to organise them sometimes, I say to future self re-reading this later lol.

We know the monsters all carry symbolism relating to James. Specifically speaking, the series has a lot of sexual undertones present. Man.. Idk where it all started but I'm pretty sure we all assumed it was true when every Silent Hill source or fanpage over decades would bring up James' sexual repression. It made sense because of how things appeared, plus Angela's trauma and her demon....that James even fights... Well.. Ito hates fans saying James 'sexual repression' being symbolised in the monsters are canon. He doesn't mind people forming their own opinion, but he hates when fans say it's canon lol. At any rate, there was a lot of confusion from what I read at first (and the language barrier didn't help, but I think I got the gist of what he meant). --------------------------------------------------------------- Talking specifically about the mannequin scene, Ito says PH is *not* raping them. Ok sure, tbh it looks too vague to label it something extreme like that. But it became something of a meme and Ig it ended up being believed as true. Kinda wish this sentiment was quashed many years ago and not in 2020/2021 gah... So, what's happening in that scene is actually far more deeper than simply to traumatise James.... Pyramid Head is a manifestation of James' guilt AND unconscious desire to be punished for killing his terminally ill wife. James is called to Silent Hill via a delusional letter from Mary he created in his mind.(A made up one to ignore the real one). He's suffering from some kind of selective amnesia throughout the game, hence why everything is there to remind him of his pain. Obviously he's traumatised by what he did that his mind has blocked it out to the point it seems he has remembered a false timeline of events... but his soul is yearning for judgement. Ito says that, therefore, James is suffering from many delusions, that's what's creating and manifesting his inner demons (true for all that come to Silent Hill). Pyramid Head himself is manifested as the executioner, tasked with punishing James, and so.. He is actually attacking James' delusions, trying to remove them:

*o* And Ito goes further! Right after PH kills those mannequins, he stalks over toward the closet James hides in (also meaningful, lmao, but okok it's not about sexual orientation). Apparently, PH's appearance is shifting. Ito says he modelled and animated all the monsters in the original, so I trust him when he says that the front left panel in the corner of his helmet is peeling/flaking back and a tongue-like appendage protrudes from the hole. Although.. he admits it might be too dark to see in that scene, but it's there supposedly. I'm paraphrasing, but Ito implies that PH is impacted by James' delusions in that James *thinks* he sees a tentacle come out of the helmet and thus manifests that. And that's when James shoots at him - He shoots at his own desire to be judged when it attempts to remove his delusions that are keeping him from the truth of his reality!! James can't face reality at this point - those delusions are keeping him somewhat sane and distracted! It hurts too much this early on for PH to attack those delusions so he stops it...this is why he is 'in the closet'. James continues to keep those 'skeletons' there, for now. It makes PH look like the true good guy - an angel.. like Valtiel (interesting to note they have similar body design). Because of learning this, I very quickly noticed how throughout the Remake, you will find plenty already downed enemies.. and it was easy to think ''PH was here''. After James realises the truth from the tape, the Hotel reveals its true appearance (not sure when it burned down or if that has something to do with Alessa, er wait I remember in Origins it was in her house.. well anyway! this could explain James' sketchy memory of events, especially when confronted by Laura having only met Mary and received the letter a year ago in-game.) Anyway, the point is; if James is aware, then the delusions begin to fade. So after watching the Remake, I hoped that the monsters wouldn't appear/be weakened and lo and behold! Bloober was paying attention! The monsters after you watch the tape are weak and limping, can't attack or are already dead and I was delighted! It means Ito was consistent that the delusions the town creates makes up the core theme of Silent Hill. In the original, there are only 2 lying bodies before the PH fight. (I forget the meaning behind them but it has something to do with James' helplessness.) At any rate, Remake did the 'dying vision' symbolism much better here and the explanation is so so fascinating that it led me to rethink the concept behind PH. Side note though, about that hole in PH's helmet. I was always so damn confused about it for so many years!! I used to draw it as a rectangular hole (some art by Ito actually depicted it like that iirc), and then eventually to a gunshot hole since James, well, shot at him, so I assumed that's what it was from. and NOW it's actually a triangular shaped hole from the paneling being 'turned upward' due to how James' is perceiving him in the moment. What a revelation, I cry. Ah.. and note on other design aspects.. Apparently Ito never designed PH with a mass of flesh under the helmet (just a perpetual shadow and the neck bag thing at the back) and he doesn't even know who conceptualised that, but I think it's due to all the cameos and appearances PH has made in many games since SH2. And he looks slightly different each time so.. yeah, interesting that.

Even the figma has that fleshy mass (and gunshot hole!) but I'd say it is accurate on nearly everything else:

It is a very nice figure though. I can't blame all these figures ever released that *weren't* supervised by Masahiro Ito himself, because lmao, Ito just admitted that PH is subjected to changes depending on how James views him, and that explains why details are vague and hard to determine let alone see bc the game is so dark. Take this little gacha figure of PH for example, from a cute baseball game called, I think, Konami Dream Stars (Pal Pro kun?) Yeah, I got Snake as well lol:

...and yes, shameless little peek at my nerdiness on display, all the Capcom stuff is directly below it lolll

------------------------------------------------------------------ So! Having learned what I did, I ofc had to question the next obvious thing; the cutscene just before the first boss fight. PH was without a doubt molesting the Lying Figure/Body which was moaning suggestively the entire fucking time - no one is about to gaslight me into thinking THAT wasn't sexual! And yes, Ito admits that scene was intentionally made to appear sexual (as opposed to the mannequins) and yet he says it has no sexual meaning....wtf does that even mean?! Well, I think I got it. Again, language barrier is most likely to blame, but... To apply the last explanation for the mannequins; James' delusions are making him *think* he is seeing something intimate to the point it manifests right then and there which is so disturbing he recoils and tries to go back through the now-locked door. And so.. it would seem that to PH, he is just trying to destroy the delusions and he can't help how James perceives that; it's just going to manifest accordingly. And while Ito hates 'sexual repression' as somehow being canon to some fans (the majority actually), well, bruh... can you really blame people for coming to that conclusion? The flesh lips, nurses too, are on the risque side. Now, idk how it doesn't indicate something sexual if it's not meaning to be but I am aware of Ito's art style tending to be quite sexual and suggestive, featuring a lot of bdsm themes in his artwork and he is quite obviously inspired by at least HR Giger's work. So making the nurses, for example, look the way they do may be a stylistic choice, but I highly doubt it doesn't also have a symbolic purpose other than referencing Lisa's image or something (This is Silent Hill though ffs, everything is symbolic, it HAS to be). I'll reassess the meaning of those for myself, but specifically I'm addressing PH (and soon in another post, the other elephant in the room: Abstract Daddy.) Initially, I always saw PH as trying to remind James of his sins, jolt his memory, to wake him up to reality. (Which is interesting considering it's not clear if Silent Hill itself is even rooted in reality, the alter dimensions I mean. Another topic I want to address soon.) I also noticed the mirroring effect PH/Maria were doing in relation to their human counterparts; PH is James, and Maria is Mary; James killed Mary, and so PH kills Maria. But.. If PH is actually also trying to destroy the delusions, (which also appears to reflect the fact James is trying to overcome his guilt, his mental blockages that are causing his selective amnesia)that inadvertently means PH will need to destroy himself in the end as well, and that is exactly what happens..

Coincidentally, this would also reflect James' suiciding.

But first, PH attacks the monsters that are manifested and represent different aspects of James' trauma/psyche. Then he is constantly confronting James by killing Maria, or James having to return to a dead Maria. I thought he was basically tormenting James by showing him what he'd essentially done to Mary. "This is what you're guilty about, this is what you need to accept'' I think that idea still holds water (pun very intentional), but now I feel it adds another layer because Maria is the ultimate delusion... and thus, PH must destroy her. Now when she says 'I'm not your Mary, but I can if you want me to be' makes more sense to me what she is. She too is subjected to James' delusions because she keeps shifting the perspective she talks or thinks in, Mary's or Maria's? But she knows she is not Mary, just a manifestation of an idea. And James deep down knows she is holding him back (like all the other delusions) and that feeling calls PH to thus kill her. When James can't escape the reality of his past, he finally accepts the truth, the memories revived by the tape, and confronts PH after stabbing Maria a final time. 'Stop denying/ignoring your guilt, and stop trying to cover it up with distractions like Maria'. James finally doesn't need to be told anymore, he has punished himself (fitting, seeing as PH is an extension of James anyway) and thus PH, the final delusion/illusion kill themselves and disappear.

-------------------------------------

OK so that's PH! Now to compare that with the remake

My main gripe was that the game is way too saturated in colour and too bright in certain parts, but it improves that as you delve deeper in the game thankfully. Kudos to Bloober for changing James' face to something more 'unaware' and disassociative. Gripe number 2: I do wish they cut out the 'hand rubbing' in the opening scene or at least tone it down bc that kind of foreshadowing is too damn obvious, sorry. Not needed. Especially not right at the start. Not even for old fans playing it, we know what happens, but cmon...It makes James too aware of *something* and his selective amnesia is what gives rise to his own customised demons...if he is even slightly aware of what he did, then what is the point to seeing the monsters, let alone PH attacking them, now that we know what Ito had intended? Wouldnt that change their appearance, or rather, remove them altogether? sigh, anyway. I find PH a bit too bright, not dirty enough and consequently, not as disturbing. Partly for that was how they clearly removed the lying body scene from the boss fight. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed, but now with much needed context, this now makes sense...

HOWEVER....If my guess about James' assuming something sexual was taking place in that scene is what manifested it to begin with, then what is there to say about the remake?... So the simple act of hand-rubbing (awareness) really DOES make a difference, huh?! >:O it took away our favourite PH scene! 😂💔..

We can talk about DEI and stuff like that affecting certain themes in this game.... but Ito saying 'it doesn't mean it's sexual' would explain why it's taken out of the remake. Ito has supervised the Bloober design team on this, so they would have so much more context and info from the man himself... Still, it appears to conflict with James' psyche, bc it is through his very perspective that we are perceiving the town and how it presents itself to James so ofc if James sees something explicit, so are we the player. We are seeing the town and monsters through his eyes. And there is much to say about whether or not the other characters are even seeing the same town, but I'll get to that too. There is also the possibility that it's just 'creative freedom' on Bloober's part. It sucks, but overall... the game's pros outweigh the cons. Symbolism for Silent Hill is a very strong trait though, so I'm a bit conflicted about those changes. In the end, PH being a punisher and attacking the delusions of James' traumatised state of mind is fundamental, so as long as that is present, then I can't really say it's so inaccurate ig. It does imho, take away from PH's menacing persona and tones the disturbing factor down which consequently, in my humble opinion, makes him less scary. Intimidating, perhaps.. but less so. He looks very cool though lol. Especially how he breaks the walls during the chase and the final PH battle, I was super impressed with it! I didn't really like how PH was animated in the cutscene in the first fight (the way he turns around, idk..) but I love how they both throw the spears at you! This fight definitely improved upon the og version. Ah, and the sound of his heavy footsteps are wonderful as well! There was another creative thing Bloober did with PH's knife where you have to pick it up to advance through the tentacle wall thing. I realised this was a manifestation of James mental blocks since he starts holding his head in pain. But I thought "oh cool! James is gonna use the Great Knife to cut them!" But sadly, no.. but.. those tentacles would peel back, afraid of the presence of PH's knife... they are delusions after all~

Oh btw.. I didn't realize this before, but as soon as you attain Angela's knife, PH appears with the Great Knife - before this, he is unarmed. In Remake, right after you get her knife, you can hear PH's infamous screeching coming from dragging the Great Knife, reiterating that he is James. Subtle but very cool! I can't believe I didn't make that connection myself lol bah.

A bit more gripes to mention though: his strange janky movements that were imitated in remake made it look like a sad parody of the original scene, which was much more disturbing. I think it would have been better had they not added that part, it was random to see when he was moving as normal as one does trying to apprehend the mannequins, then calmly and slowly assessing the room only to suddenly flail about and strike random poses barely reminiscent of what he does in the original...and then just stand there as if James never shot him 🤨 not to mention, James looks so unbothered in this scene, he doesnt look at all anxious like in the original..the whole 'interaction' looked awkward. The original scene was paced better giving PH a kind of build up to those strange movements. I also dislike the lack of reaction and bad pacing with several of Remake's cutscenes as it toned down much of the intensity in crucial moments of the game, like in this one with PH. Yet... improved on others that I think were made better than the original's by elaborating on them.

Anyway I will touch on this and add more criticisms on remake in another post, this one is long enough lol; i just tried to get my thoughts on PH in one post but if I missed something I'll just add it in the PT.2.

If you actually read this, you must be as obsessed as I am (thank you)! Feel free to add your thoughts if you want, I love talking about silent hill symbolism or the ideologies behind The Order.

[chuckeroo777]

Frieren Liveblog- Chapters 1-4

Welcome back! Today we start reading Frieren! Unlike my Dungeon Meshi liveblog, this one will be blind!

To start, let's go over what I do know.

-Frieren is an immortal elf mage of some renown.

-She lost a human companion she cared a lot about, but unlike Marcille, she's chill about it.

-The mimic scene.

-There's a guy with blue hair, and a demon(?) lady.

-I think they adventure in dungeons to get stronger?

Yeah, I think that's about all I know. Let's see what happens!

And here we have our intrepid heroes! Apparently they already beat the demon lord, so that's nice.

Wait, Himmel? Oh no. I'm pretty sure that's the dude Frieren misses. Alas, it was nice to meet you. Guess the character class "Brave" doesn't save you from death flags. Suddenly not feeling confident Heiter or Eisen will be sticking around either.

Oh no! She's tiny! I love her. LOTR did irreparable damage to fantasy by insisting elves have to be tall.

Well, that was quick. I guess other than Himmel's imminent demise, all my spoilers have already shown up.

Frieren's a high INT low WIS kinda character, isn't she? At this rate, his tragic death is literally going to be old age. No, seriously. I think that's what's about to happen.

This is gonna be a recurring problem, isn't it.

Saw that coming from a mile away. I wonder about the other two companions. Are they longer lived races? Or are they old and wrinkled too?

It's your own fault for being of optimal head pat height. Heiter looks a little older, but not too bad. I can't tell if Eisen is different. With the manga format, for all I know, he's gone grey.

Ah. Perhaps not as chill about it as I assumed. Also, I went ahead and switched over to a better translation. Maybe the other was more accurate, but good lord was it stiff as hell.

Who's this cutie? I'd hope she is a major character, but with 70 years having passed since the manga started, I'm worried about getting attached to anyone but Frieren.

Phooey.

This can only end well.

Now what exactly does that mean? I'm sensing some deeper motivations for studying magic for both of them. (Also, I'm not retracting my Phooey until I confirm Fern doesn't die of old age at the end of the chapter.)

Oh dear. I thought I got enough of this from The Monster who Wants to Eat Me, but I guess we're doing this here too.

Best case scenario really.

Yessss! New companion! Also, this is really sweet, even if it only worked because Frieren didn't care about wasting six whole years.

Telekinesis may not be flashy, but the raw utility it can provide is nuts.

The adventurer's creed. As long as the loot is magic, you want it. Guess who has a collection of hundreds of scrolls and potions in BG3 despite having used, maybe 5 total. No, I can't store them in camp. What if I need them later!

Yep, they're adventurers alright. I am rather happy to see that despite her stoic facade, Frieren is in fact, a goober.

Where's the lie?

Keep telling yourself that.

Oh god, please tell me this Manga isn't a cycle of new companions joining, growing old, and dying.

Please stop vagueblogging at your apprentice.

No one told me this was a sad manga.

Good for you, but don't forget to retrieve the lady's seeds before you leave.

This isn't giving hope that this mange isn't on a centuries spanning timescale.

Oh no. It's only been four chapters, but I already adore her.

Is candy a euphemism for something?

This is sadly rather relatable.

Oh my god Frieren, stop staring at Fern's bobs.

Ok, so, before I finish tonight's session, I decided to take a little peek ahead to assuage my fears. This is from chapter 107, so it looks like I don't have to worry about Frieren repeatedly outliving her friends in this story. At least with old age. They could still die the old fashioned way. The only other detail I accidentally spoiled is that Fern is still with her, so reverse death flag, I guess.

And that's the first session! Very different vibes from what I was expecting. It's very somber, while being funny in a rather low-key way. Frieren is already a delight, and I'm interested to learn more about Fern. So far she seems to mostly be the straight-man, but I'm sure she has some fun quirks.

Also, glad to see basically everything I was spoiled on was in chapter 1. I went into Dungeon Meshi knowing about the cool monster Marcille is in lesbians with.

[bufferingbabe]

NETFLIX: EVERYTHING NOW

[Trigger warning: the show is centred around the main characters recovery from her ed so that’s mentioned in this post.]

I am in love with this show. I just put it in as something to watch in the background whilst I did some light work and now I’m a day behind on it because I couldn’t. Stop. Watching! (and I couldn’t see the keyboard through my tears 😭).

I don’t even know where to start- it’s been so long since I’ve seen a show and seen myself in so many of the characters and seen people I know in those character as well. In an emotional sense, a situational sense and a physical sense I literally found Cam so jarring just because he reminds me so much of two people i know.

The Script Dialogue ?

🎶 For the first time in forever 🎶 the script, written about gen z, using terms and reference of the youth, didn’t. Feel. Forced. IN ADDITION, they used reference that weren’t just globally relevant but phrases and references that are very British/Londoner gen z!

“Are you not embarrrrassssed? This is emberaasssing” - perfectly used.

I also love how there’s no pressure to announce their sexuality, everyone is just them. I’m straight, so my opinion on this means nothing in comparison but I love that. l can see why coming out is important to many and a needed process to go through but I also know many people would rather not and just love and live and from an ally’s perspective I feel like this perspective of LGBTQ+ stories are so refreshing. The kids are freely figuring themselves out with no judgement, as they should be.

The Music Choices ?

First things first because I need to point this out for people not from London who have or are looking to watch the show. These kids come from rich families- and I mean RICH. They’re not from old money wealth (like Young Royals) but they live in modern detached houses located in zone 1 more or less (that’s already worth like £1M+ range), have cars that I know for a fact definitely don’t abide by ULEZ so they defo pay extra, AND have back gardens??? Mad.

But why is this relevant? To be honest I don’t know how to word this but, the house music at the house parties, the drops of garage, when Cam was in his home and working out and they played Cench, my first thought was “Cam is defo the type of boy to know all the words to all Cench’s songs and then rap the words with vim, as if he’s from ends 😂” (translation: “ends” = “the hood”, think Top Boy).

The music choices accurately depict today UK youth and it’s not just music that fits their lives or their characters progression but instead rounds out the characters. For instance I listen to Pop Smoke despite not being able to relate to a lot of what he’s saying as I’m not from NY or live that lifestyle, but will I scream the lyrics? Yes. And that’s how I feel it is with these characters. The soundtrack was like a dip into their own spotify accounts!

AND WHEN THEY PLAYED “MY HOOD” BY RAY BLK ? I cried. That was my “bus ride to school” song in secondary school.

The Character Development ?

I haven’t routed for and been annoyed / pissed off to high heavens by / cringed for / cried for a bunch of characters in so long. I don’t want to say more about that because the show is very plot character driven and I don’t think I can explain what I mean without spoiling it.

What Got Me About The Show ?

Through the show I came to the conclusion that even when I was mad at the characters I couldn’t be completely mad because I knew where they were coming from and I knew they were struggling but still mad because it didn’t excuse or make it okay that they spread the pain. The only character that hadn’t done that I believe is Mia’s little brother (even though I myself really wanted him to give everyone what for).

As I am not someone with an ED I can’t fully relate and my two cents on this is worth nothing in comparison to those who have had the presence of an ED in their life in some way. But from my perspective I do believe that this show is very educational and brings great awareness to the mental side of it all. It’s very raw and real and unapologetically what it is.

I don’t really know how to end these things and tbf but I love this show and needed to express it especially since no one around me has watched it yet 😭.

[theoneandonlyweirdest]

"ꀤ ꍏꂵ ꈤꂦ ꍟꃴꀤ꒒"

OK.

Its about time I explain this AU so my art about it isn't just "o woa grace but animals because the artist is incapable of drawing humans" even though thats technically it.

I'll talk about the characters first, then I'll get to the actual PLOT part, but I won't spoil tooooo much.

CHARACTERS:

There are a total of 6/8 characters currently in the AU, those being;

Akkine, a dog. Yes sooo basic I know.(The one at the top of the image. Pronounced Ak-een)

Navvi, a ram. (The one at the very bottom of the image)

Alterguard, a carcal. (The one in the middle of the image)

these three are the main-main characters, though the following are just as important

Exon a black cat. Yes, also basic I know ;-;

Miles. Named and designed after my irl dog, a rat terrier

and Dariah (or Domino) named and designed after my friends dog, Domino.

There are two more characters to be added, but I'll explain that at the end of this.

I'll go over their personalities, and how they died (because y-know, the place where Grace takes place is like- a purgatory? I think- uhhhhhhhh)

___

Akkine- If it wasn't obvious enough, he hates everyone and everything. Why? Well, he doesn't like to talk about it but we think it has to do with his life when he was living. How did he die? Well.... he won't tell anybody. Only Genesis knows.

Navvi- Just the sweetest girl, shy, cares dearly for her friends, even Akkine, who despises her for being 'too nice' to literally everyone. And I mean every. Single. One. She died to the hands of the people who thought she was 'A bad omen'. For... some reason, she soon ended up being driven mad because of it. Killed a couple of people anddddd boom. They got her.

Alterguard- Always trying to find the easiest way out of things, pretty lazy but will try his best to 'TRY' to do something. He died during a wat between two kingdoms, he was a guard, yet he was found by a guard from his kingdom slacking off. The two argued, and the guard picked up, thew him off of the balcony, and right into the crossfire of the war....

Exon- Tired over everyone's antics, always serious, always keeping Akkine in check, and from getting himself killed over and over, though most of the time she fails. She died by... well.... that would spoil a little bit too much ;)

Miles- Absolutely crazy, does not fear death. Overprotective of the group and won't go down without a fight. Not scared of anything. He died when on a camping trip with his family. Then a bear attacked out of nowhere. His wrath got him killed quickly. (BTW MY IRL DOG IS OKAY LOLLL)

Dariah/Domino- Kind of like Navvi, but less shy and is like the mother of the group. She mostly obeys what the warning notes say and is overall a good girl. She actually was on the camping trip with Miles, though she was a friend, not related. She was able to escape, but her wounds were fatal.

___

NOW TIME FOR THE PLOTTTTT

Basically, when the main three died, they were actually the first to be in this, Purgatory. So Genesis gave them the choice to redeem themselves for their past sins, and they can get to freedom. They didn't know about the monsters and stuff so they obviously said yes. The other characters just- show up or are found already in the labyrinth. The entities have their own little story too, but I'll save that for later!

___

LASTLYYYY

For the last two characters, unless I decide to make one up my self, I would like some ideas from you all! So, it doesn't have to be lengthy (unless you want it to, thats totally fine!) just a personality or animal idea and it would help out a lot and show some support!

The name of the story they are in is "I AM NO EVIL" so yes, I do plan to write this, or at least start on it, rather soon tonight or tomorrow!! Where? on Wattpad! (Yes Wattpad, because I refuse to step foot on Ao3)

The AU itself doesn't have a name yet so uhm.... aNy iDeAs?

ANYWAYS, THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU if you actually read all of that, It makes me happy to know people may be interested in this AU. Things may change, but for now, this is it! Thanks for reading!!❤❤

[coeluvr]

I think it's different when you go look for it vs finding a spoiler out of nowhere. I'll never forgive google for spoiling me about character deaths when I just wanted to see something else related to them... didn't have a meltdown but made me extremely sad.

I love spoilers and actively seek them out. Most of the time, at least.

But I will never forget how I told a friend I started to play a game. Literally told them that I just started it up and the opening was on and how excited I am, just for my friend--who played it already--to say something like "oh cool, did you know-" and then proceeds to spoil the entire ending to me included with a certain character's death.

That was 15 years ago, and I'm still not over it because it ruined a lot for me, especially about that one character lol

Omg 😭😭 I love spoilers when I want them, which is most of the time, but when I don't want them and get spoiled I just don't watch it. But I'm strange and look up spoilers and the plot just to not watch it and to know what happens.

I'm a grudge holder too, I never forget things 🫡 I jokingly bring up things like that all the time lmao

[lloydfrontera]

obsessed with this (and many others) story being so dead-set on two main guys and their just absurdly close relationship and then having the balls so say NO HOMO and being so scared of having an open end so it just had to follow the heteronormativity norms. im so sick and tired of it. it just cheapens the whole things. it cheapens whatever respect there was for female characters involved, which was already not a lot because well. lets be honest yeah. i just wish these stories were self-aware enough to leave the characters alone. no relationship is better than what usually happens in these stories :( that's why im so hesitant to read the novel because im not always able to ignore such stupid literary device. im ranting to your inbox because i think you'll get it and my god i was so bitter when i was spoiled about the story's ending and the violent need to have everyone married it's hhghgghhhnng

i get it yeah. i've been deep in fandom spaces for about ten years now, this is not my first rodeo, won't be my last and i'm already used to it. doesn't mean i'm not tired of it too tho kjasdasd

and yeah i agree, at this point i'm not even really asking for a ship to be canon, i truly do believe sometimes the better option is to just have an open ending and leaving things to the imagination, but the amount of times authors feel the need to shove a last minute het romance just so they can beat the queer allegations,,, is too many to count

i think what gets me with tged is that,,, you can really take away the canon romance and nothing changes. it adds nothing to the plot, it really was something bk moon added in the last chapters purely to make it canon at the end. you could erase those bits and the general plot and characterization remains the same. it is... bad writing to be honest. like. from a purely technical standpoint that's a bad relationship, that's not how you add a romance to your plot!

but! on the other hand! the fact that it can be erased that easily does make it very easy to ignore it and focus on the good parts of the plot which are truly worth everything else aksdhskaj

it's like,, the gay equivalent of that thing marvel does where it includes their 'diversity' moments in such a way that you can cut them off and the film is still perfectly watchable. here you can cut the straight bits and you still get an awesome novel with great characters and deeply moving relationships lmao

it cheapens whatever respect there was for female characters involved, which was already not a lot because well. lets be honest yeah.

and this. yeah. Yeah. i did my fair bit of ranting when the webcomic decided to make silurian javier's love interest, retroactively fridging her for his manpain and also straight up ignoring and erasing her arc in the novel about her not needing to marry to be made heir for the city. like. they just didn't mention it. at all. what the fuck.

and then there's alicia who. the more i think about her and the way her relationship with lloyd is handled the more upset i get. she was such a cool character, with her own thing going on, her own motivations, her own worries, her own deal. and then she becomes lloyd's love interest because. well, she's literally the only important enough female character who isn't related to lloyd or already married who can do it. like. that's it.

silurian gets an entire arc about why she doesn't need to marry lloyd, sherazade marries lloyd's brother, marbella is his mom, moira basically disappears after her introduction... and that's... it, i think?? who else?? emily? the mermaid queen? i for the longest time thought raphael was a girl and was sorely disappointed to find out he was not so. yeah.

then there's the "magentano carry" title effect thing going on and,,, that's a whole mess on its own. i hate it. there's literally an otherwordly power making alicia trust lloyd. let me rephrase that. they had to force the canon love interest into giving her full trust to the main character. the very foundation of their relationship is built on her being literally unable to mistrust him because there's an external force forcing down her suspicions and doubts about him.

and we have canon confirmation that if lloyd pushes hard enough when she's already paranoid because of other factors, that effect can break and all her mistrust and wariness about the potential danger he is to the crown come back with full force and she'll declare him a traitor and go to war against him. like. that's the state of their trust and relationship when the novel is 89% done. i'm not even slightly exaggerating i literally did the math.

it's. it's just bad. it's so bad. i'm. i don't know what else to say. she didn't deserve that. lloyd didn't deserve that. we certainly didn't deserve that either.

so like. after all of this it'll sound really hypocrite of me to tell you to read the novel but. i do think it's still worth it. everything i'm talking about is. such a small part of the entire novel. which is kind of the problem but also the very reason i still think it's worth reading it.

everything else makes up for it i promise akjshdjka

[docholligay]

Episode 10: Jackie and Shauna's Fight

Hello! This is about up to Episode 10 of Yellowjackets, and ONLY episode 10 of Yellowjackets. I have not seen beyond the first season, at all, and know NOTHING about this show. Please do not spoil it for me.  Things that are spoilery in nature, for me, include: saying things like  “Just wait!!” confirming or denying anything I put forward, outside information about the cast interviews or creator statements, leading questions like “Do you think “blank moment” means anything?” etc. Remember  that Y’ALL HAVE SEEN THE SHOW AND I HAVE NOT. This informs the way you  talk about things relating to the show. Just be really careful is all  I’m asking. Also: If there is LITERALLY any stance I  could take on this show or character that would make you upset, please  just fucking block the tag

If you WOULD like to discuss the show and my takes on it, the Discord is right here! I don’t go there, so it’s a great place to get every emotion out.

Please thank @sailorsunspot and @moonlight-frittata for backing this odd way of doing a liveblog, and remember my tip jar is always open

I don’t know that I even have an essay’s worth of anything to say about it because it is things that have already been brought up, but oh my god do I love the fight between Jackie and Shauna. I love everything about it. I love how they both have been genuinely hurt by each other’s actions, how they both have damaged each other in these ways they barely understand, how they love each other and hate each other in that unique alchemical mix tghat only teenage girls can truly understand. 

I love that Shauna is completely right about Jackie. That she is self-obsessed, that she expects everyone to roll over for her, that she doesn’t even think of what Shauna might want for herself, outside of anything that Jackie might want for her. 

I love that Jackie is completely right about Shauna, and this was a thing I did not expect the show to do! I adore that she called Shauna a cliche, because she’s right, the sad little sidekick who doesn’t feel like they have their own life but also won’t do anything not to be a pathetic shadow IS a cliche, and I ADORE that the show saw that and wanted to look at us and say, “Oh we know” 

And Shauna HURTS Jackie. She says something that Jackie might think, at core, is true, and that’s how you hurt someone. You tell someone something about themselves they fear might be real, and that’s when you will see the most violent and horrible reaction from them. I have observed this multiple times in people, i have observed it in myself, and this cut that she makes is so precise, so perfect, that it makes SHAUNA cry, because she knows the violence behind it is real. 

It kills Jackie. Shauna kills Jackie, and is that why she is so afraid of ever making a power move, ever again? I knew Jackie was going to die, but I don’t think I could have possiblyt imagined the way that Jackie was going to be killed by Shauna* but jackie STILL has her perfect revenge because Shauna is still living in Jackie’s shadow after she’s been dead twenty-five fucking years. Jackie won! In many ways. Jackie is remembered as the perfect princess and Shauna is a sad, fat, stay at home wine mom who never went to college, and what people say to her ins things about Jackie, and Shauna is a CLICHE, still. GOD, it is beautiful in its cutting perfection. I SCREAM about it, I think it’s my favorite element of all, is Jackie won, sure, and Shauna woin by living, but really THEY BOTH FUCKING LOST. We both go down together. Amazing. 

And of course, Jackie’s death is one of social ostracization, which is not only true for survival in a pack--a lone wolf is a dead wolf--but it was death by the coldness Shauna showed her. It was a high school death, and a wilderness death, and the dovetail of them was incredible. Something Shauna didn’t even really want at the end of the day. Because now this will be the only story of them both. Can’t wait to see how long it takes for us to eat her. Will Shauna let them? Even when they get to that moment of extremis? 

And Jackie’s final hallucination before she dies,. And how it is so much about her being centered and adored, all over again, of her having that warmth and safety, before it begins to turn, was amazing. It said so much about Jackie, at the end of it all. How her comfort is in Shauna telling her that she is the best. I love how both of them come off so bad here. 

*Okay so note, I do not actually think Shauna is literally killing Jackie, but narrative wise I think we all know that’s what’s happening. 

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

You know, since I started playing it yesterday. I wanna say I don't really dislike the story of COD Ghosts. Granted, I did have issues with it when I was younger. But I don't seem to mind the game but here's something I think could've changed without spoiling the game...even though the game is a decade old.

I feel like if they wanted to make that family connection more emotionally stronger or anything. They could've just combined David "Hesh" and Logan into one character.

While I do think maybe the reason they made they two different characters because Hesh is usually the one having you follow him around and whatever else. But I seem to agree with people that making Logan a silent protagonist didn't seem to work in this case.

The reason I didn't mind characters like Roach, Ramirez, Jackson, or Frost or well, any one before this game being silent was the idea there were other characters that seemed to have possibly taken up the role of main character or something. I felt like making certain characters silent was to make it feel like you were essentially just one of the soldiers that were part of a squad or unit. Something akin to the earlier titles set in WW2 where you were just a man among many. The same can be applied to usually the American protagonists that didn't speak in the Modern Warfare games or even World At War.

But with the personal story Ghosts was trying to do. Logan isn't a "This character isn't meant to be you" or something. It's just something I've wanted to talk about. I feel like maybe combing Hesh and Logan into one character, and you make those moments with Riley, your dad and whoever else much personal. Granted, this means in the first time around, it's going to be just you and Riley. But really, if the game was Hell bent on, "You're going to care for this dog" maybe like, just have a mission or more dedicated to those two.

Also, it still amuses me that the actor playing Hesh is one of the Superman actors, Brandon Routh. Why do I feel like they could've used that actor more despite he's already a main character. But yeah, they could've just combined Logan and Hesh into one character.

Logan David "Hesh" Walker or something, 26-year-old sergeant joining an elite team of soldiers to save his country or something in a post-apocalyptic America. In all seriousness, the setting for Ghosts is something I really love. Something I keep relating to Terminator and SATAM. But it's literally a destroyed AMerica.

I do think some other changes may happen yet...could the story have the mom of Logan and David be alive or something? But again, if we do that, we may have to change certain stuff. But this is about the main character themselves.

Also, before I post this since I got the tags done with, actually, I'll add their names too. Don't leave the game on a cliffhanger unless you're really sure the game will get a sequel. That to me is the worst part of the game. Or a major thing.

[user-needs-new-hyperfixation]

From a like, "what if this relationship existed irl?" perspective, Wangxian and Hualian both have Concerning Elements.™ But, I mean, most of my fave ships do. Fiction is fiction, yada yada yada. However, for my tastes, Hualian's Concerning Elements are SO much more my jam (at least thus far, as of being halfway through the 6th official English volume.)

TW for mentions of Wangxian sex antics below the cut. (ie CNC at best, rape at worst.)

This is very subjective, but I think the problem I ended up having with Wangxian once I got to the sex was that while the book did a good job convincing me that Wei Wuxian is into everything Lan Wangji does to him, it didn't do a good job convincing me that Lan Wangji knows that for sure, or is in control of himself, or would stop if Wei Wuxian didn't like something. I can see the bits that could be interpreted differently and suggest that it is all clearly consensual, but it just...wasn't quite enough for me. I'd pretty thoroughly spoiled myself and I thought I'd just be kinda meh about the incense burner bits, but when I actually got to that first one I was just stuck like 😬😬 the whole time. I don't think I will ever be comfortable with blood in that context. Just...yikes. (And yes that's complicated by it being a dream and whatnot, but it did still give me the ick, alas.)

Hualian are so different because the bottom is literally the god the top worships. (Which, y'know, again; if that scenario were somehow translated to real life would be A Problem lmao.) I know there aren't any full-on sex scenes between them, but whatever shenanigans they're implied to get up to, I'm already coming at it from the perspective of trusting entirely that Hua Cheng would never even dream of hurting Xie Lian in any way unless it was 250% consensual. If Hua Cheng has darker fantasies, they're probably of Xie Lian using him...and then he beats himself up for 50 years just for daring to besmirch Xie Lian's goodness in his head like that or something.

And again, this is subjective. This isn't some anti rant where I suggest everyone else should dislike something just because I did. Though I did relate to him in some ways, I don't feel like I bonded as much with Lan Wangji as a character as I did with Wei Wuxian, Hua Cheng, and Xie Lian. Maybe I just don't understand what's going on in his head enough. But my personal comfort level is always gonna be: rough sex needs the top/dom to be very much in control and checking in with the bottom/sub regularly. And in the end, that wasn't how Wangxian felt to me. Which is kind of a bummer.

But Hualian are just...ARGH they're so much, and the obsessive worship and centuries of yearning are so unhealthy is such delightful ways.

[chiyoso]

Hiiiiiii

I just wanted to warn you about the incoming spam tomorrow. I just finished Luofu trailblazer quests and now I am all ready to binge on your HSR works 👻

I finally finished it.

I am yet to play the character story quests and world quests.

But hear me out. Is it just me or did the Luofu quests feel really really rushed? Like I felt it got the Inazuma treatment. Like before one storyline could establish itself and sink in, we were already involved in a bunch of other things and other plots. Like I felt that they had a lot of ideas but had to string it together to form a singular plot.

Idk, I feel like I liked Jarillo story better as it felt well paced but I didn’t connect with any Jarillo characters. But with Luofu, I didn’t like the story but I liked the characters (cough cough Jing Yuan and Luocha (yeah I know he’s evil)). Man I went into Luofu quest thinking I’ll be a blade simp but ended up being a Jing Yuan simp instead. I am yet to play Blade’s quest (Kafka called me to help them but it’s literally 4am rn and I am like, Blade you will have to wait)

But long story short. I am going to be binging on your fics tomorrow and I am sooooo excited 🥰🥰🥰

RAHHHH NAT AM BLUSHING SO HARD GRRR i just woke up nngh good morning

also! for your question

you're kind of right? about the luofu arc, but honestly, it became less confusing BECAUSE of the detectives, the people who theorize and the overall fanarts/theories of the fandom who made the plot make more sense

if you're confused on some parts, i would love to indulge you in what i have information gathered (e.g. main points, species, jing yuan/blade/dan heng/jingliu relationship and things about the xianzhou luofu)

but! since im also done with the inazuma storyline, i can honestly say that i get what you mean? that the hyv didn't point out and explain too much about you know... stuff (like why blade is so damn obsessed with dan heng, more shit about the stellaron hunters n etc, aeons even!) but thats why fandoms exist! i dont even research much because i dont have time, but once i stumble upon a lore/fanart/or even drabble about something related to hsr, i just piece things myself, that and im a sucker for lore so i try to really understand things!

and the kafka companion quest

i found it funny and so- idk it makes you go blush BECAUSE of kafka, i dont wanna spoil but i hope you enjoy that specific quest! because it tells details about kafka's powers + we get a proper interaction with her finally (so i got to assess her whole personality n such for headcannons, example, in my herrscher of death!reader x hsr fic!)

oh and

i imagine you are swamped with irl things, juggling/grinding hsr and genshin, so starting honkai impact 3rd... it'll be so overwhelming for you (since i am, still trying to finish events) but if YOU decide to join in the honkai impact 3rd train as well, i will gladly, GLADLY help you and guide you with whatever you need!

hi3 is like, more combative, heavy HEAVY lore and we have characters over 50,000+ years old lmao, and actually, if you're familiar with the whole imaginary tree concept in hsr, you will eventually understand why ive decided to plan a honkai impact + hsr crossover series (because hyv makes it makes sense)

and with that

CANT WAIT TO HELP YOU IN ANY WAY YOU CAN ABOUT HSR!!!

and thank you hehe, i'm still revamping the nanook fanfic + creating multiple banners for our hsr men (but look at me create banners lovingly for scaramouche lmao)

OH AND since you're a jing yuan admirer, i assume you'll love my jing yuan works; "imperfections you loathe" and "a fourth wall break from the general" which! are in my hsr menu in my pinned 😌 i'm so excited that you caught up in hsr hehe