#i did like talking to him though apparently we do have some similar interests so that's great

[captainshorter]

Male, (assumingly) straight co-worker asked me if i liked reading.

I answered yes and he got excited cause he reads so we talked about books (he mainly talked about what he read and i listened though now i am curious about the books he talked about though) luckily i could wriggle myself out of the situation of him asking for my favorite books (he did ask my favorite author)

Because like how do you explain your favorite book is about a guy who is running from the mafia by faking his identity and then ends up playing a fake sport in a college team where everyone is traumatized and one of the guys in his team is from the mc’s past while another guy is trying to figure out what the fuck is up with the mc by making the mc’s life difficult but then they end up in a sort truth game where they share a bit about themselves sometimes but OH suddenly in the third book of said bookseries the guy who’s trying to figure the mc out says he wouldn’t mind blowing the mc and they fall in love?

like hell nah bro, i can’t say that

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I tell a couple I'm a mistress for both of them?

this is a long one and a very weird situation but here we go. I (28F) have been seeing two people recently. I've been seeing C (30F) for a little over 5 months and M (29M) for almost 6 months. both relationships are currently in a state of non-commitment, even though I've expressed feelings in both relationships and theyve been reciprocated, but I'm naturally not a super commitment-focused person and both of the people I'm seeing have respected that a lot, so yeah.

anyways, both relationships have been great and I'm incredibly happy w them, and since neither are committed to me I've kind of just assumed that both C and M were likely seeing other people as well even if we haven't talked about it.

WELL. about a week ago C came over to my place to spend the night, which she does like once a week or every other week. she goes to take a shower and I start gathering laundry and grab her stuff to throw in with mine and take her phone out of her jeans. I glance at the screen and see a few texts from a contact called "my love <3"

I was kinda surprised by this because while not talking to me about casual relationships is not something I would care about, the contact name made me think she had a more serious relationship going on, which I don't mind but would like to be informed about.

soooo okay I did an admittedly asshole thing and read the text. and then read a few more. and it became apparent that this was a REALLY committed relationship. like, I love yous, I'll be back home soon, please remember to grab so and so from the grocery store, stuff like that.

the contact picture looked kind of familiar too so I clicked on it to see better and it ended up being a picture of M.

I kind of flipped at this bc this is kind of a ridiculous situation, and I left my apartment for some air. I came back like 30 minutes later and C was waiting for me and confused where I'd been (she didn't see/hear me leave since she was still in the shower).

I apologized to her for looking at her phone but told her that I saw the texts from her partner, and that I was feeling kind of hurt that she hadn't told me that she had a more serious relationship going on, since she knows I value transparency. I specifically did not mention that I was also dating M or knew who he was because I felt I needed to scope out the situation more.

she ended up breaking down in tears and spilled everything. told me that M is her husband, that he doesn't know she's been seeing me, that shes felt so conflicted and guilty because she loves him but has really grown to love me too, that she feels wrong and dirty for keeping everything secret. I'm upset that I've been made into a mistress without knowing, but I try to talk to her about everything, we end up staying up super late talking and crying and pouring our hearts out. I still don't mention that I'm dating M too because I feel like I need to talk to him about this before any big decisions are made on my part.

I ended up inviting M to stay at my place a few nights later, and I confront him about the fact that I know he has a wife (made up something about my friend seeing them out together) and ask why he's kept this from me. his reaction was really similar. guilt, not understanding why he's attracted to two people at once, saying he very deeply loves C and doesn't want to leave her but really loves me too, says he's confused and doesn't know what to do. I don't mention to him that I know C or that I'm dating her.

I asked him if he's heard of polyamory before, and he said yes but he doesn't know anything about it really. I ended up encouraging him to maybe talk to his wife to see if that's something she'd be interested in, but he was terrified that she'd be hurt by the suggestion.

I really do love both of them and don't want to leave them. I've been poly for a long time and am very familiar with navigating ethical non monogamy, and to me this feels a lot like two poly people struggling to come to terms with and accept a facet of their sexualities, and they're just navigating that confusion and self discovery in ways that are...not great. but, I want to give them grace for their mistakes I guess?

so this is the part where I think I might be the asshole if I go thru with it. I've talked with both C and M separately about talking to their spouse about what's been going on and about polyamory in general, and they're both fucking terrified and really don't want to. so, I was thinking of inviting them both to my place at the same time to hash it out (without telling them that the other person will be there, since they still don't know I'm dating both of them). I think once they realize they've been dating the same person things might be easier to navigate, and will force them to confront what's been going on?? but also idk if springing this on them is the best thing I could do, but I really have no idea how to navigate this differently.

to be frank, if they love each other and both love me, my ideal outcome is that we continue things as they have been but with no secrecy and 100% transparency. I'm also afraid that even though they've both been seeing the same person and have expressed interest in polyamory after talking about it with me, they might feel personally betrayed by each other and everything could backfire spectacularly, AND I could possibly explode their whole marriage.

so, WIBTA?

What are these acronyms?

[impactrueno]

I understand if you’re done talking about Lydia moving on from Beetlejuice as she gets older but I want to add (and forgive me if you or someone else has said this already) that when Lydia met Beetlejuice she was likely in a similar spot/frame of mind as she was in the movie, being a kind of social outcast who was a little gloomier than her parents like (Delia in particular of course, even if she doesn’t mean anything nasty by it… overtly), and maybe even being new to Peaceful Pines and struggling to fit in because of that.

We don’t see them meeting or the circumstances behind their friendship exactly but I think it’s safe to assume that she gravitated toward him because 1. He was likely the first “occult” thing she had ever come across, and that being an interest of hers of course she’d want him to stick around, and 2. He did not care in the slightest that she was “different” (and maybe tried his usual scummy greedy shenanigans on her before warming up to her as well).

He is fun, weird, kind of gross, literally maybe the only person at the time who she felt understood her in some way (and vice versa of course). In no way does that mean that’s healthy, even if they have great moments and fun adventures. And as Lydia grows into her own in S4 especially (because of less “censorship” yes, but this can be read as her character growing more confident in herself) it becomes apparent that she doesn’t need to rely on Beetlejuice as much to feel as though she isn’t an outcast— kind of leading her to be more at ire with his scummy shenanigans, even if he is loyal to her above anyone else, because he is no longer her only way of fitting in.

This is how I interpreted it but if you’re up to share anything else that would be so awesome woohoo. Love chattering about stuff

yeah i agree for the most part!

according to the comics this is how they met:

but i'm not too sure how canon that is. or if canon even matters when it comes to a cartoon like this lol. sounds about right to me though! even if it's implied that beetlejuice was gonna straight up kill the deetzes LMFAO

what you said about her having more ways to fit in besides beetlejuice makes me ponder......i think he'd be proud of her (he knows how hard she's had it, and also knows she has self-confidence thanks to his positive support as a friend) but also a little jealous that she doesn't spend as much time with him anymore. just a little. okay maybe a lot but it wouldn't manifest as anger like it usually does, i think he'd just feel kinda sad. long sighs and sitting bored at the roadhouse, being unable to come up with a new scam or scheme or something because all he can think about is how he could be hanging with lydia right now or wondering what she's doing that's more important than being with her best friend. he seems like the type to stew in his own juice like that (pun fully intended, look who we're talking about here)

get some therapy, BJ.

[atryoshka]

Frenchie and Izzy getting together would be genius and tbh I can't unsee it now

Love that Izzy and Frenchie actually have a lot in common on a deeper level that wasn't really apparent to me until s2 when we see how they deal with trauma in equal but opposite ways. We have Frenchie with his little box that allows him to straight up ignore the dark shit he's been through like it doesn't exist, happily eat some blood cake, and thinking that his death being given a clear deadline is a comfort. Then we have Izzy trying to stone face his way through having his body parts severed, just business as usual bc that's the pirate life and it won't change even though he's visibly holding back tears, and then accusing the crew of being too cowardly to kill him, actively inviting death bc he doesn't get why any of it even matters so keeping him alive is pointless.

What's interesting is that given the right circumstances, they could easily trade places, with Izzy being more lighthearted and Frenchie falling apart at the seams.

We've already seen signs of this with Izzy being much more chilled out after the crew made him the new unicorn, finding something in this terrible life that make him see them, and himself, in a more positive light. Like yeah, life is still filled with unimaginable horror, but now has a custom gold painted unicorn leg to trudge through it with, which is absolutely absurd but now he can't help but smile. So he decided his life is so unserious right now and you know what? A shark took his leg, end of story, here's a little wooden shark I made today just for fun lol. Frenchie on the other hand is still pretty relaxed despite everything that's happened so far, but I have a feeling that he was probably very similar to izzy in the past before he joined the crew of The Revenge. His past is pretty mysterious even with the little tidbits we get like him being in the service for bit. It doesn't sound like he was doing it for too long so the other things in his life that he doesn't talk about remain unknown, probably even to himself. The box exists so he can pretend any trauma he experiences doesn't even exist, unlike a fiction which still somewhat acknowledges that there was something that happened to him in a way he could accept. The truth is, he actually never moved on bc all the parts of his life that he's ignoring are still lurking inside him waiting to break out at anytime. I think when something accidentally triggers a memory he suppressed, we'll see a different side to him. Less chill, more shrewd survivalist, like when he and the others reunited with the revenge crew after being stranded at sea. He bounced back pretty fast after they got past the pinnata and cake standoff but it was interesting to see how ready he was to be violent and how untrusting he was of everyone's intentions in that context. He'd usually be much more chill and willing to fast talk his way out of a situation, even when he knows someone has bad intentions. (There's also probably something with religious trauma he's hiding but that's a whole other can of worms I won't get into. All I'll say is that combined with his very strong beliefs of the supernatural and grudging flippant way he does the cross symbol on himself when others do it, when they boarded the cursed ship, he was that only one to not step in the satanic circle before anyone even questioned what the strange lines even were. Did he immediately recognize it and consciously avoid it or was it gut reaction? Idk, but he sure as hell didn't speak up about it and just wearily watched the other step into it and draw their own conclusions. ) But getting back on track Honestly, their dynamic would be really interesting to explore in the show bc they could understand and care about each other in ways that would probably surprise them if given the opportunity to spend more time together on screen. tl;dr: All this to say that I fell down the rabbit hole after realizing that they are basically this meme, which has a lot of potential for so many hilarious and accidentally heartbreaking moments

[fumifooms]

I think you made me start shipping Marchil

Your posts got me thinking about their dynamic then I wrote a fic that was supposed to be platonic but midway through I realized it could actually be interpreted as romantic too and now I'm just sad about how little time they'll have together

First of all, you have a lovely icon, second, I’m so honored… I finally read Not a bad way to go and it was soo so good like. My god!!! Pre-canon is underused and you did so many interesting things with it.

It sounded like a cruel joke, that the one who needed her concern the most was also the one least interested in it.

^^^ go read it go read it

Chilchuck was drunk enough that he needed to hold onto the walls not to fall, but apparently still sober enough to remember emotional vulnerability was his worst enemy, as he made sure to avert her eyes and said: “Namari made me come talk to you ” to make it clear he wasn't being nice voluntarily.

Yeah.

“Of course I'm scared of dying.” He scoffed. Did she really think so little of him? “But if I could choose, I would want to die doing something I love, like drinking. Or maybe fucking,”

Maybe you wish you didn’t know but my new favorite HC because of this is that Chil dies yes prematurely not of liver failure though but during coitus. Especially if marchil, the thought of him busting a nut and his heart giving out makes me laugh so hard. My god. Lmao. Oh god. Lmfao. Worst day of her life

Marcille knew Chilchuck wasn't a kid, but she often struggled to take him seriously as an adult because he was just so adorable and small. In this moment, however, she saw them exactly for what they were, even if it was just a glimpse. A sheltered, naive little girl trying to tell a tired, much more experienced man how to live the rest of his life.

Standing ovation

She tried to find an explanation to give him, but she couldn't even find one for herself. Why would she miss him? He was just Chilchuck, her coworker, Chilchuck who was cold, aloof, sometimes crass, evasive, and even outright mean. He who was level headed, reliable, trustworthy, perceptive and clever. He who had the least time left, even in a best case scenario. “I guess that despite your best efforts, there's still a lot to like about you.”

This fic goes so hard, standing ovation pt 2

“I just think it's better if we don't get too close. Don't you agree?” “I… maybe” she said, uncertain as he didn't know how to feel about that. Caring about people would only hurt her in the wrong run, she knew that, but unfortunately she couldn't help it.

I looove how they can be read to be similar on this aspect. My hand clenching around my phone as I rear up to rant about Marcille and the way she does keep people at an arm’s length subconsciously again my god my goood. Obsessed with this obsessed with this, underused for marchil. Terrified of loss through death vs rejection duo I love youuu

Brilliant ending I’m in shambles. I’m not gonna spoil it

You get marchil so much you truly do. The way they mesh, the way their views on mortality clash and both soothe & bruise… He doesn’t have much time left even in best case scenario (which Mr I won’t eat well I’ll drink and smoke a lot I’ll stress all day every day is determined to not make happen) which makes it all the more meaningful for Marcille’s arc when she learns from him to finally enjoy the present moments… It’ll only be a fraction of her life, but to him he’s giving her the rest of his life. What are some decades of love worth? Worth it, surely, if nothing else

[pannman]

Could I request something where Valentino says he'll pay for ftm readers' testosterone and surgeries (top and bottom) if he signs a contract saying he'll work for him after everything heals.

I haven't done a Valentino fic in a while

The Offer

Tw: brief mentions of gender dysphoria and body dysphoria, swearing, Valentino being Valentino

Willing to do a part 2 later with more yandere themes if you guys like this one

Hell wasn't exactly a place filled with great health care insurance. There weren't many decent jobs. You were desperate for a job that would help pay for your transition. You knew you weren't the most qualified to work as in IT support at Voxtech. The most experience you had was some customer service experience working in fast food. And you were sure the competition would be stiff. But you knew a good first impression can do wonders

So with your best business casual clothes (that you could afford), a polished up resume, and a dozen practice sessions behind you, you arrived early for your interview

Just as you thought, you were NOT the only one interested in this position. You sat and waited, carefully thinking about your answers to potential questions

You were the last one interviewed. You were expecting Vox to be at the interview. You weren’t sure why. You just thought he'd be present. Instead it was two people in upper management who worked for him instead

"Hello, there Mr. Y/N, you are our last interview for tonight." The man who's sinner form looked similar to an eel of some kind shook your hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you" you replied trying to hold back yourself from talking too much. You were nervous and desperate and it made you want to ramble or try too hard. But you needed to remain appearing calm and professional

The older woman who had a frog like appearance looked rather bored and tired as she didn't say anything yet. The man decided to begin with the first question. "So what made you interested in this position?" He asked. You told him that you liked Voxtech and the innovations associated with it and that you were excited at the opportunity to be a part of it. This was true but it wasn't the real reason which you chose to keep private for now

The woman finally spoke. "You and everyone other applicant here" she spoke in an unamused tone. You knew it was a basic answer but you didn't feel comfortable exposing your identity at that time and it was the only other answer that had some truth to it

The man continued "do you have any technological experience?" You were dreading this question but still you answered as best you could. "No, I worked in customer service before though IT is a new field for me, but I'm very eager to learn" you said with a smile. You kept your posture straight and tried to keep your body relaxed. You wanted to project confidence

"Apparently not eager enough to learn before coming here" the woman commented rolling her eyes. You were beginning to worry. She clearly didn't like you or was in a bad mood from interviewing all day. Hopefully you could get her on your side and it wouldn't hurt your chances

The man gave the woman an uncomfortable glance. Before returning to his questions. "So, what could say would set you apart from our other applicants?" He asked. You thought about what you would say to this question. "Well, I'm really good at making connections, I work well with people and I am good at teamwork. I'm willing work hard to earn my place here" you said hoping it would be enough

The woman gave an annoyed chuckle. The man gathered his papers. "Thank you for coming in. We'll give you a call if we are interested." He said as he led you out. "Don't quit your day job just yet" you heard the woman say just you exited

You were pretty sure you did not get the job even before you had left the building. You headed down the hall and realized you had to use the restroom. You stopped to talk to the secretary and asked where the bathroom was

She pointed in the general direction without glancing up from her phone. Great! Another cheerful, delightful person...

You went down the hallway to the right. You didn't see a bathroom. You turned left hoping it was the right direction and soon you could hear someone yelling. You turned left still not seeing a bathroom so you continued further. You headed to turn right at the end of the hall when you collided with someone. Someone quite tall.

"Who the fuck isn't watching where they are-" the tall moth sinner paused when saw you. You recognized him immediately as the one the vees. Valentino.

"Well... my apologies, I shouldn't been storming out in a blind rage." His demeanor changed and a razor sharp smile spread across his face. He lowered an arm to help you up. You took it. Not exactly wanting to piss him off after he was about to bite your head off. Or something worse. "Tell me, what brings a such muy gaupo man to my part of the building?"

How lost were you? You stammered a bit. He made you nervous. You weren't sure if it was his angry outburst earlier or the fact that he towered over you but something about him seemed.... dangerous. I mean he was an overlord. He was dangerous

"I-i... I had an interview for a position at Voxtech." You finally managed to say. You felt his hand on your back guiding you (almost straight up pushing you) along with him as he walked and talked. He asked you how the interview went

"Good..." Your fake confidence was failing you now as you were incredibly nervous and uncomfortable in his presence. "Oh, poor bambino, was it that bad?" He asked in a tone of worry that was if he'd known you longer than 5 minutes

You decided that lying to him wasn't working. "I don't really have any experience for the job. And don't think one of the interviewers liked me much" you admitted. You felt a hand on your shoulder and you looked up to see him grinning down at you. He had barely touched you yet it felt like he was being touchy. You shrunk in his gaze. "Why do you want a job cooped up in some office anyway?" He asked. You thought about your answer to his question. You sighed. "I liked the benefits. The pay is good, so is the health insurance...." You trailed off

He seemed to read you like a book. "Money and health insurance. You got an illness or something?" He didn't seem to actually think you had an illness. He was probing you. And you didn't know how to think properly right now. "Its... for testosterone... and surgery..." You weren't sure if he was going to know what you were talking about. "So, you trying to get the right parts hmm?" Oh, he did know

"Well, you know..." he continued "my porn stars get superior health coverage. If you work for me you could get the same package. And one day have your own... package" he said the last part in a tone that sounded lustful and you didn't really think this was a good idea. But, you had tried everything. This was your first job offer that actually had good benefits. Interview after interview. Let down after let down. Maybe this was all you could get. Maybe this was the best you'll ever be...

"Ok... it-it sounds like a good option I guess" you stuttered. His eyes lit up like something predatory had awakened inside them. "Great! I'll draw up the paperwork. Follow me" he didn't trudge ahead instead once again guiding you along with him this time with a firm grip on your side as if he was worried you'd take off. And you definitely had considered it

He led you to his studio. People were on set everywhere. You were no stranger to sex but even this was getting you quite flustered. He led you into his office and pulled out a contract from the drawer under his desk

You don't know why you did it. You didn't see any other way. You wanted to finally feel right in your body. To like who you see in the mirror. And even though every instinct was telling you not to, you signed it...

Valentino watched you and flashed a dangerous grin "good boy. I just can't wait to get started..."

[justplainlovely]

Defending my new favorite ship again because why tf not

I’ll start by stating the obvious (cuz apparently it isn’t a given to some of the folks on here, which is weird, but okay). We DO NOT condone abuse in any form. With that said, an explanation is not an excuse and many folks, almost all I’d venture to guess, have been abusive at some point in their lives (I know I wouldn’t have been on the receiving end of so much abuse if that were untrue - hurt people hurt people). We also DO NOT condone racism. I get the feeling people assume malice on the Ghoulcy shipper side because of disgusting comments that were made long ago about Rey and Finn (which was a similar dynamic that, I’d argue, made more sense than a Lucy/Max relationship but that’s also my 🌈 heart shipping him with Dane). These disclaimers also extend to the villains, which Barb is one of. We DO NOT condone misogynoir here either cuz while I haven’t seen much racism on Lucy/Max, I have seen a surprising amount about Barb. Being a fictional villain does not allow for any kind of bigotry, NOTHING does, but I digress.

So on Ghoulcy, I’ll say this. The foreshadowing is layered heavily throughout the story. Whether they are intended to be friends or partners is up for debate, but the writing makes it quite clear that these characters are destined to team up, bringing us to the end of Season 1 when Lucy walks off with Cooper. I’m brought back to what Wilzig said at the beginning of the season, when Lucy was by herself camping and he warned her several times to go home before finally saying:

“The question is, will you still want the same things when you’ve become a different animal altogether?”

Lucy is very distraught at the end of the season after learning everything she does about her dad and Vault-tec and, for her to return to the vaults and live out her days there, with or without Max, seems like a stretch when things are all said and done. This can be poignantly compared to Persephone going to the underworld (in Lucy’s case, the surface world) - she has eaten the proverbial pomegranate.

This isn’t the only dynamic which Ghoulcy has been compared to, either. I have also seen them compared to Beauty and the Beast, which brings Max back into the dynamic often as a Gaston. Personally, I don’t see that, but if he turned out to be a villain it would be an interesting storyline and Aaron Moten could play it off very well. But bringing Max back in, something about his character to me feels very incomplete and I’m not sure if a love interest is the way forward for him. We only know one of his wants:

“I want to hurt the people who hurt me.”

And at the end of the season it’s like he seems less convinced by that, even though it’s hard to guess exactly what he’s thinking when he is knighted (something he should want, but judging by his expression he seems disenchanted by it) and finds Lucy has left. Part of the reason I ship him and Dane is because Dane has been a rock to him, one who he can probably trust with doubts about the Brotherhood. But returning to Ghoulcy, Cooper has been exactly where Lucy is before. He was betrayed by the one person he trusted most and what did he love most about Barb before they divorced (remember there was talk about alimony in the first episode - not sure how people forgot that):

“I know you always try to do the right thing. That’s what I love about you.”

Who embodies that better than Lucy, I ask you. (Cooper very well could still care about his ex-wife so take that with a grain of salt) But when it comes down to it, and we don’t know who initiated the divorce so it’s up for interpretation like any good story, part of Cooper died when he listened in on Barb’s Vault-Tec meeting just like part of Lucy is dying after she learns what her father did to her mother and Shady Sands.

“If my dad found out that I destroyed an entire community to save him... that'd break his heart.”

That is likely what’s on repeat for her when she learns about the city. And when Cooper offers her his company to New Vegas, his tone notably softens. I think when they first met, the vile things Cooper did to Lucy made her realize very quickly what she would have to do to make it on the surface. Cooper is intrigued, maybe even put off by, her genuine goodness. And it’s not just that, but he sees part of his past self and seeks to kill it any chance he can get. I’d argue that’s a large part of why he’s so cruel to her (him shooting the Vault Boy poster was more than just a fuck you to Vault-Tec). And likewise, Lucy shows him that embracing his humanity again is not so bad - whatever morsel he has left. It begins with trust, though, whatever they have. When she follows him, he has his back turned to her and is walking ahead with the dog. Normally, he wouldn’t put himself in such a vulnerable position, but he is showing her that he believes in her golden rule. Or more accurately that he believes that she believes in it.

Anyway, I dare not risk turning this into an actual essay. It’s already long enough. I’m interested in exploring other aspects that I might have missed if y’all have any thoughts.

[lemotmo]

Sending this one because apparently lots of people didn't really understand how this works. So this was a good explanation. Hope your blog heals ❤️

Q. I don't understand how Tim or ABC can just tell him he's not allowed to talk about Tommy or Buck anymore? I'm pretty sure he just lost interest in doing the videos because they can't tell him what he can and cannot do. It doesn't work like that. He can say whatever he wants to whoever he wants that's his right. They all have that right.

A. They don't actually have that right. I have received a TON of questions fairly similar to this so maybe lots of people genuinely don't know how this type of thing works. Lou is the actor who plays Tommy. Tim, Ryan and Brad created the character of Tommy. They own that character exclusively. ABC purchased the licensing rights to that character, when they purchased the show's rights, so they control the characters PR/imaging rights. Meaning neither Lou, or any other actor from the show, can profit off of or promote themselves through their character if Tim, Ryan, Brad or ABC tells them they can't. Full stop. Tommy is the intellectual property of Tim and company. Lou has zero rights to that character. If they tell him he's no longer allowed to speak on behalf of that charter or promote himself using that character (which is what Lou was doing) he is lawfully obligated to stop and stop at once. That is standard operating procedure for any and all television/movie characters. If the actor playing that character had nothing to do with creating that character they are at the total mercy of the person/people/studio who did create and own that character. There is no wiggle room.

We don't have proof that he was told to stop, you're correct. What we do have though is a pretty consistent pattern from him right up until the day it did stop. He communicated with them almost daily, sometimes multiple times a day. He wasn't passive about it. He made a point to do it every day to some degree. He filmed multiple videos over multiple weeks. Each and every one of them speculating on and about Tommy (an even bigger no no was him openly talking about and speculating on other characters). The videos had clearly not been commissioned or approved by Tim or ABC, if they had been then the videos would have had some sort of structure. Then one day he filmed and released a cameo video and the very next day everything stopped. Zero communication. Zero interaction. He not only stopped recording the videos he removed the option to even try to buy one all together. He did leave the option for you to submit a question but many, many people have shown proof that they submitted a question but it went completely unanswered and they couldn't even tell if their question had been read or not. That sounds like someone who was forced to stop rather than voluntarily stopped. I personally think a conversation was absolutely had with him. Most of the time a show will look the other way on fan interactions. It comes with the territory. Some actors engage more than others. But it got out of hand. He was telling people to go above Tim and directly to the network asking for more of him/Tommy. He was openly theorizing on characters and cast mates he had no right being into any conversation(this was a big NO). And those fans were hounding not only Tim, Oliver and Ryan but they were hounding production staff. All of these things occurred as a result of his videos. There was nothing wrong with him pushing himself for more screentime, especially since he knew he was on borrowed/limited time, actors do that all the time. The way he went about trying to do it though was the problem. Rockmond Dunbar (Michael) would be the closest example to the situation Lou currently seems to be in. It was a different circumstance, but he was given explicit instructions to follow and he chose not to follow the instructions and as a result they dismissed him from the show. Temporary screen time is better than zero screen time so I'm sure for now Lou is just following orders.

Thank you Nonny for dropping this in my inbox! And thank you for the kind wishes. :)

(From now on I will address the anon OP as Ali. She has kindly asked me to call her that. I get why. Anon OP does sound kinda clunky. :D )

Now see? This is why I'm so determined to keep on posting Ali's asks. I don't live in the US, so I'm far away from Hollywood and the world of TV-shows. I do have some knowledge of how everything works behind the scenes from all the years I've spent roaming around in fandoms of American TV-shows, but that is only a fraction of the bigger picture.

All characters are intellectual property from the creators of the show, just like book characters are the intellectual property from the author. I knew this, but it's fascinating to read what exactly that entails in the world of TV-shows. It's always interesting to read a full break down of the inner workings of television and actor contracts.

As per usual, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[ryuichirou]

Playful Land: thoughts and long overdue replies

Since we finally finished the event, I can finally share our thoughts about it! There are some asks related to it that we had in our ask box ever since the event first came out, and now I am finally coming back to them lol I hope at least some of the Anons are still interested in what we have to say.

I’m skipping everything with headcanons for now; I haven’t written those yet… but it’s likely going to be another big masterpost, so please bear with me. Thank you for your patience!

In short: we enjoyed the event very much. Now, let’s dive into details…

Anonymous asked:

Hey Ryu and Katsu, did you guys read the translation for the previous jp event 'Playful Land'? I haven't seen you guys talk about it or mention it, so i'm curious to hear your thoughts and opinions on this event.

personally, i enjoyed most of the event ( sadly same could be said about the the rushed ending though ;-; ) But it's mind-blowing cuz the event is basically human trafficking! Turning people into dolls and selling them off so they can serve as tools?! hello?! This is basically falling into the Black Butler territory lol (But i heard rumours that Yana wasn't involved in this event and a few previous ones apparently?). But then we also had funny moments like Jade force-feeding Floyd is so funny!

Also, what do you guys think of the two new characters? Fellow and Gidel. I swear Gidel looks almost identical to cheka :'DD

Anon! You’ve mentioned Yana’s involvement briefly, but I’ll come back to this point later in this post. But still, I’ll start off by saying that it really does have very strong Yana vibes because of the themes of the event, I am very surprised they went that dark. One of the biggest takeaways for us is that TWST has a lobby of people that exists in-universe and is SO POWERFUL that they can not only continuously support their human trafficking chain AND kidnap not just some random kids, but also someone as famous and of high pedigree as the likes of Vil, Kalim, and Leona. The implication that there is nothing they can do to get Fellow’s bosses in trouble is truly chilling. I love it when TWST gets creepy and grim like that, even though I really wanted the boys to get donkied… please, at least give Ace some donkey ears…!

And yes, just like you said, it had this nice balance of uncanny/creepy and funny. A lot of unexpected punchlines, a lot of “wow, this is dark”, I really love this contrast and the event played very nicely with it.

I’ll also talk about the characters later in this post, but I’ll note that there were a lot of fun and unexpected interactions lol Speaking of interactions, I also loved that we got to spend more time with Fellow and Gidel than we did with Rollo. I don’t think this is necessarily an improvement because Rollo’s event had different vibes and story, and it made sense for him to stay “hidden”; but the fact that as all the boys from this event got “eliminated”, they had to wait with Fellow and got to bicker with him is priceless. I really loved it because not only we get to see more of these nasty brats insulting our poor foxman, we got to see more of our poor foxman and his loyal catboy in general. This is a good thing.

So yeah, to answer your question about Fellow and Gidel! We loved them much more than we anticipated.

Gidel does look somewhat similar to Cheka lol, but at the same time, both Fellow and he have such distinct and unique oldschool animation vibes that I really love. Their designs and sprite movements and expressions are amazing overall, looking at them was very enjoyable.

FELLOW’S ENTIRE BEING!!! HIS ATTITUDE!!! HIS FAKE-ASS FACE!!! I love that he is so unbelievably shady that the senpais got disappointed in the boys for trusting this guy lol and yet, still kind of got somewhat charmed by him. Fellow knows what he is doing and damn it feels good to have a character who fails miserably against our horrible NRC boys, but is also cunning enough to cause trouble. He flip-flops between being a pathetic adult who got beat up by a bunch of kids (+Lilia) and being someone who manages to outsmart the boys because they just aren’t used to his brand of “desperate and shady”. What a smart bimbo lol the fact that we never beat him, too…

I keep bringing up Rollo, but at this point we have two characters that hold a deep grudge against the magic users and the society in general, and I find it very interesting. Mostly because of how different they are… I won’t dive into this thought now because honestly, it’ll make this already long post even longer.

But damn, the characters themselves. Their interactions with each other, the implied closeness to each other, the fact that the two of them are a unit with such a deep bond that Fellow can pretty much read Gidel’s mind. I feel like there is so much for of them that we could learn….

So yeah, my only grievance is that we didn’t get enough of them and I miss them already, but I feel like we’ll get a vignette of them just as we did with Rollo, so maybe it’ll fill the Fellow-and-Gidel-shaped hole in my heart.

I also wanted to mention that their fighting style is interesting. As you might know, we don’t play the game, but still love it when they don’t cut out the fight parts, and this is exactly why: Fellow doesn’t really attack himself, he just casts Gidel who hammers away?? And then Fellow still takes all the damage himself. I think it’s pretty unique and fun.

Hmm, what else. The song is cute. It ain’t a Make a Wish, but I don’t know if it’s fair to compare the two because of how different they are.

Alright, moving on.

Anonymous asked:

Yana said on her twi that she and the team worked on the base scenario and rough story beats but nothing about the actual writing. A lot of the characters act odd in this event (Kalim lost three years worth of development, Vil became a slacker, and just about everyone lost any brain they had, also Jade actively tried to hurt Floyd for no reason) which seems to support this idea.

When it comes to Yana’s involvement, I might be mistaken, but as far as I could make out, this is pretty much the level of her involvement with the events (at least these days), isn’t it? I tried to look through her twitter, and here is what she said about this event (rough google translation):

Our company was in charge of character design, costume design, scenario, card art direction, background art, and OPED storyboards and art.

And here is what she said about Glorious Masquerade:

Character design; Scenario draft; SSR cards art (sketch and finish); Toboso was also in charge of directing all other card art; Costume and mask settings Background art settings; Our company is in charge of the opening and ending storyboards and art.

So, character design – check, costume design – check, scenario (draft) – check, card art direction, background art, OPED storyboard and art – check. The only thing that Yana’s team did for Glorious Masquerade that they didn’t do this year is that she didn’t draw the SSR cards.

I feel like she didn’t talk about Playful Land as much as she did about Glorious Masquerade, but it was just a feeling that I got, it isn’t an objective measurement of her involvement.

So yeah, Yana didn’t write those lines herself, but I don’t know if she does it for events at all. Whether we should consider things that didn’t come from her brain directly canon or not is also a whole different topic, and we are very opinionated when it comes to that (you might know that we don’t read any additional material that had no involvement from her at all).

Still, the event didn’t feel as off as I thought it would after reading your ask. I did try to see your point and was ready to see some OOC scenes and dialogues, but… overall it was good? And for some characters, even really fucking great?

I’ll go through the list of things that you’ve mentioned.

I am not sure what you mean when you talk about Jade actively trying to hurt Floyd for no reason, but I assume it’s the popcorn scene because I don’t remember any other occasion of him doing so. And even then, it doesn’t really feel like him trying to hurt Floyd? He was being a nasty sibling trying to bother Floyd, which is not only a very sibling thing to do, but also a very Jade thing to do; Jade’s entire motivation to go to the Playful Land was to enjoy the chaos of it all, so it makes sense that he was feeling extra naughty and playful. And Floyd’s reaction clearly indicates that this is just a “uhhhh you’re being annoying” situation, and he is very used to it. Am I missing some crucial scene in which Jade tried to hurt Floyd? Did he shove him off the ferries wheel while I wasn’t looking? I am genuinely confused.

I’ll say it about every boy you’ve mentioned in your ask, but still: I loved the tweels characterisation in the event. Especially Jade because we don’t get to see him having so much fun at other’s expense openly very often, and this is exactly Jade’s brand of fun: to enjoy watching people in uncomfortable situations: Floyd being force-fed, Vil and Floyd losing to Ortho, Vil struggling with cute merch… and all of it backfired greatly for Jade in Vil’s vignette, which is *chef’s kiss*

Overall, Jade was being nasty the entire time, and Floyd was very Floyd-like too, driven by his own fun only, eager to punch as many puppets as he could and ruining Fellow’s day as much as he could before going down. They had to put a bag over his head so he wouldn’t bite them anymore… peak Floyd behaviour…

I also don’t think Vil was necessarily being a slacker. This specific cast had to be a part of the event, and I think they did a good job at making it somewhat believable: everyone had their own reasons to go (knowing for a fact that Ortho is way too stubborn not to go and going to at least make sure he isn’t getting in trouble sounds like a Vil-like reason to go), plus Fellow’s unique magic played a big role in the boys being so uncharacteristically relaxed. Yeah, you still have to suspend some disbelief with some of the boys for the sake of this event’s premise working, but it’s pretty self-aware about that.

But also? I kind of very like it when Vil is not super uptight? And I really appreciate the fact that Vil had a bunch of silly moments + his entire interaction with the main trio of boys was very good. He is still the mature one, he is still one of the strongest ones, he is still a leader and he is still very caring for Ortho and the rest.

And Kalim, well… I kind of loved him the most in the event..? I feel like it highlighted him pretty nicely.

Let’s be super blunt here: Kalim didn’t have 3 years worth of development. He had some development during and after his and Jamil’s book, but it didn’t end up changing much about him. This isn’t a bad thing, this is still a part of his character’s trajectory, it’s just that you don’t change that trajectory radically after one event, even if it’s as drastic as overblot of someone who is very dear to him. Even though Kalim promised that he would punch Jamil for being “a bad guy”, he never ended up doing that; instead he asked the rest of the Scarabia boys to trust him and don’t treat Jamil as a traitor. One of Kalim’s most important character traits is that while he is very detached from the reality of regular people and has no idea about what they’re going through which leads to him being insensitive at times (something that he did a couple of times during the event btw, he really had no idea why Fellow got so insulted over his comments about money…), he has a huge heart and always wants to treat others with kindness. If you give the bad guy a chance, he might realise the error of his ways – this is like core value for Kalim. This is why he is such a good contrast to both Ortho and Ace, who are very willing to tear Fellow’s ass apart, and this is why it made perfect sense that he would be one of the stars of the event. He is also pretty stubborn despite being so good-natured, and this is always typical Kalim: you WILL be his friend, whether you like it or not. Kalim’s not a villain and he got transferred to NRC only because of Jamil, not because it fits his personality.

And if you’re talking about him skipping school, then… I don’t remember any Kalim development addressing this side of his? He doesn’t like studying, and this is a constant for him lol BUT!

What is interesting and what does feel like a development (or rather an expansion of his characters that we didn’t previously know of) is how despite his principles and the fact that he doesn’t want to get violent, he is willing to attack Fellow directly if it means protecting Ace and Ortho. I haven’t seen every single piece of Kalim lore (i.e. vignettes and other events with him), but it was very fun to see Kalim-the-older-brother and to realise that this is how he sees his kohais. This doesn’t mean that he is a great protector, he kind of screwed up at the end lol but the fact itself shows how big his heart is, and honestly, even though I love every single nasty guy from NRC, I think Kalim being so stubbornly and unapologetically good is his strongest point. And it doesn’t ruin anything about his character.

Once again, I am not sure what exactly you meant by Kalim losing years worth of development, but these are some of my thoughts. Once again, you are  entitled to your own opinion. I am just sharing mine: I think this event had good character writing, and I didn’t even hate Leona all that much this time, which is a huge deal for me lol

Overall, this was a very good event. It ended kind of abruptly, but pretty much every event does that + some of the vignettes helped to add some of the info that felt like it was missing… which is exactly what also happened to Glorious Masquerade.

We had a lot of fun with it, it’s great. Really made us remember just how much we love these boys and their shenanigans.

[raayllum]

Loyalty and Love :: A Miyana Meta

In S4 and S5, one of the most interesting side characters introduced, upon further reflection, has definitely been General Miyana of the Six Horns. Although mostly there to be a trusted confidant and sounding board for Karim, in S5 she's allowed to be a lot more active and interplay a lot more with themes the show is steadily more explicitly exploring in regards to love and loyalty, which is what I'm gonna talk about today.

So without further ado, let's get into it.

The first time we see Miyana is in the tent with Karim for Janai and Amaya's initial engagement announcement / celebration.

It is worth noting, I believe, that Karim initially didn't want to tell Janai about is concerns over her marriage, but Janai urged him to be honest with her about what was bothering him. (Talk about a catalyst for unwanted consequences). Given that Karim is clearly close to Amaya to have seen her effect on Amaya ("Well sister, it can finally be said: you have met your match... Janai, I have nothing to criticize about Amaya. I love Amaya! She is strong and funny, and she makes you happy") as well as for Amaya to consider the marriage merely "officially" making him her little brother. Miyana and Karim might've shared similar reservations and worries about the humans' continued, growing presence in 'New' Aurea, but we simply don't know enough to say; perhaps she brought muttering from the other Six Horns to him, and that was the initial seed (or the other way around).

When the incident with the architect and the Soul flame candle happens, though, Karim starts to lose his impatience.

K: This is the problem! Like all the other humans, even your wife-to-be thinks this is a joke. [...] You know what must be done. Call a Tribunal of the Six Horns.

And this is also where we start to see the political implications of Miyana and Karim's relationship. But first, a few assumptions:

Miyana is close enough to the queen to be sent to report news to her, something we see only Kazi and Gren do to either Amaya or Janai (5x07)

Janai trusts Miyana with the Sun Seed and is comfortable operating on a first name basis (5x07), particularly in Amaya's absence

Miyana leads the lineup of the Six Horns, likely indicating either senior-ship or authority among the group

Karim and Miyana have likely been together for a while, but are seemingly not wed. Janai refers to him as "kid brother" which indicates a more prominent age gap between the siblings (anywhere from 7-10 years in my experience) and does not mention Miyana when she says, "I'm supposed to criticize your love life, not the other way around" (4x02)

Either Karim and Miyana have kept their relationship entirely secret, or Janai knows but does not disapprove, and assumes she still has Miyana's loyalty due to her continued presence at camp even after Karim's exile / not helping him when he asked in 4x09. I personally lean toward her not knowing due to their late night scheduled rendezvous, but you can interpret it both ways

Either way, they clearly care about keeping their relationship secret as when he goes to her quarters in 4x08, Miyana says, "What are you doing? We shouldn't be seen together" (showing that they are both politically minded enough to be willing to stay a secret for no other apparent reason, too).

Given that Janai and Miyana have both worked as prominent generals and her close relationship with Kairm, Miyana has likely known the Sunfire royal family for some time (possibly since childhood)

Miyana is not the first to cast judgement, either, at the trial's end, with everyone else changing their fire first. (This could indicate the opposite of what leading the line did, and that she is in reality the lowest of the Six Horns, or could not be custom at all - who knows?)

After all, we know the outcome Karim wants - punishment and "justice" and that by calling the Horns, he will likely get what he wants, as he knows Miyana will likely side with his choice as well. This is supported in canon since the Horns likewise unanimously vote that Lucia is guilty even with Amaya's testimony; it is singularly Janai's decision of what she is being sentenced to that spares her.

It's implied that when Karim left the tribunal angrily, he was waiting at the wall to meet Miyana when Janai intercepted him, given that it's his and Miyana's meeting spot later than episode, and she playfully chides him for being late.

Miyana doesn't seem particularly upset herself about anything that happened at the Tribunal, even if Janai certainly didn't go with what sentencing Miyana had had in mind when choosing guilty as a verdict. She also doesn't seem super shocked that Karim is going to well, conspire to go against his sister (which is treason) but to be fair, she is mostly there to 1) establish that they're in a relationship and 2) so Karim has an excuse to say his thoughts out loud so the audience can hear them. You can, however, also read this very laid back reaction as one of well - future loyalty, as we'll soon see, but also perhaps a sign of caution, which is Miyana's most valuable trait in contrast to Karim's more impatient nature. And if the previous implications are right - Miyana and Karim both putting their political power over being open about their relationship, it would make sense that they must politically agree / have values that align beyond just "your values should match up when someone is your partner" y'know?

"These things take time." This is, of course, the last thing Karim wants to hear after learning about Janai's 100+ year plan to restore their people's peace and security, a day that neither them nor their potential children will leave to see, so he doubles down accordingly.

Miyana being more cautious/patience makes sense, too, given that she's not nearly as irate about Janai and Amaya doing well, anything, at this point as he is.

Miyana's emphasis on "Did he win?" (a focus on securing victory and hedging your bets/choices correctly) over Karim's "He did, but the point of the story is not who won. The duel stopped the war" and stopped the clash between siblings, which is ultimately what Karim wants. He never thinks that Janai will accept the duel, but that she will abdicate, leave with her wife, and they can both get exactly what they wanted, particularly since as Janai said, "I never wanted to be queen" (4x02) a perspective that has changed because of the Tribunal he urged her to call and because of her growing bond with Amaya (4x08).

So by this point in the story, we know that:

Miyana is close to the royal family

She cares about her own political values and power enough to be willing to hide her and Karim's relationship for their mutual political gain, particularly in situations like the Tribunal

She's caring, patient, and less irritable than her partner

She's cautious and plays the long game - not stepping in to help Karim in 4x09 when she sees the tide has already turned against him, knowing she'd be more valuable remaining at camp until she can make her own play

She thinks through more of the angles (such as questioning what will happen if Janai accepts the duel, which Karim never really considers as an option)

S5 doesn't really give us any new information - it just doubles down on all of these, but allows her to do so independently without Karim's own pushing. Rather, Pharos arriving and almost implicating her serves to tell her what Karim wants, even if she doesn't know why yet.

This 'demand' tells us more about Karim in some ways than it does Miyana. It shows that he misses her, it indicates that he trusts her still which this episode later proves, and it's a way to give her an excuse to see him again, which we know he desperately wants (but we're gonna talk a lot more about their final scene, just you wait) that she may not be able to take without causing suspicion otherwise.

It's also why he cries when she does show up in 5x09, because when she didn't in 5x08, he thought she'd truly betrayed him and changed sides (hence why he was maybe more angry at Janai and Amaya than he previously ever had been before, given what he'd 'lost' to them), believing retrospectively that his love had truly forsaken him.

But she hadn't. Because she betrayed Janai instead.

Karim isn't in a particularly good place at the end of season four, either, with losing his duel (but having his life spared) and his political machinations and future for his people blowing up in his face. But he's in an undeniably worse one (at first) in 5x09, having tried to legitimately kill his sister (which wasn't the initial plan in 4x09) and failed, enlisting a dubious assassin who also abandoned him when it suited her, getting his ass kicked by Amaya, his plan to heal Sol Regem and get his aid indefinitely stalled without the sun seed, losing the love of his life, and losing his mother's ring, to boot.

It is quite literally only because of Miyana that absolutely anything gets turned around and even before Miyana reveals that she's absolutely changed the game in his favour, Karim is still emotional and overjoyed to see her (and we start to see their, let's say Parallels, come to light...)

Amaya: You abandoned him. You broke his heart.

Callum: Well, some things have changed, but not everything: I would do anything for you.

Opeli: Don't you want to know what she was up to? Why she did all this? Callum: If she didn't tell me, she has a good reason. [...] Rayla, I was wrong. I waited too long. I hope you know—

In spite of less than ideal appearances, in spite of perceived or actual abandonment, in spite of apparent indifference, they've stayed loyal to one another through everything. As they clarify tearfully to themselves, Miyana's Love for him is Synonymous with her Loyalty. They are one and the same.

You might say that she would Do Anything for him. Even when quite literally everyone and anything else turns against him, she is in his corner - and makes all the difference. I dunno about you, but I kinda have to respect it.

Which, okay, yeah Miyana is loyal to Karim because she loves him. Duh. Why does this matter thematically? How does this develop one of the other major explorations / notions of the season? Well...

(Cut lines from Finnegrin's Wake) Finnegrin to Callum: Seems to me that love's got a tighter grip on you than those chains round your wrists. So I'll do you a favour and set you free.

A slave to your loyalties.

Your loyalty? My love.

Interesting, don't you think?

TLDR; Miyana's love and loyalty to Kairm helps reinforce the "in the name of love" motivation that we increasingly see the main cast be embroiled in over the course of Arc 2, for better or for worse, with interesting implications for her history with the Sunfire Royal Family, and possible reaffirmation setup for Callum and Rayla moving forward.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Aftermath

This chapter, 1124...it really didn't feel that different than the last two. It starts here with our opener. Morgans here takes on a very similar role as Buggy did in 1122, and we're still unpacking the immediate worldwide reaction to the transmission. Importantly, Luffy's gonna end this chapter with a good reminder none of it was very important to him, but Morgans starts it with a good lesson in why it should to a degree.

It's cool seeing Vivi roast him over lying, but this right here is the essence of why shaping your story matters. Buggy could take the moment and make it work for him, Vegapunk was so disconnected he realized his message might stir panic but didn't do anything to ameliorate that. Morgans is setting up Luffy the same way Sabo was. This story should rattle worldwide faith in the government. As is though, it could just end up being a tale about Luffy massacring a beloved figure worldwide. This time I don't really think the opener casts as long a shadow over the rest of the chapter, but it's now something becoming a pattern with these past few chapters. But let's get to the real meat of this one:

Talking with IRL blorbo from my blog Fallensnowfan really helped with this one but it's so stark when you see it in the actual chapter. There's this very interesting juxtaposition in the fallout of Vegapunk's death. Lilith picks up on the conversation we saw with the VegaBoys last time, a theme we've explored throughout with them. What does death mean when you've split yourself into seven parts and have a giant brain floating in a vat?

Well, here we have some interesting answers to this question. Lilith pops up and makes this big show of trying to cheer up Luffy. Get him past these feelings of failure. It was a very sudden shift but it does feel earnest, even if it reminds me a little of Carrot in WCI's End Roll. As earnest as Sentomaru and of course Kizaru. For one, we've talked about how these spotlight moments remind us of Wano's bigger ones. "Have you ever had to kill your best friend?" Well, the Akazaya Nine know that feeling. Especially Kin'emon & Kiku who had to take on the dirty work with Kanjuro.

But man...what a moment. Even Akainu cracked a little and realized he stepped over the line. Seeing Kizaru actually shaken for once too. The little flashback helped cement it as does this amazing shot of him watching all that work go up in flames. Simply put though, Kizaru/Sentomaru clearly don't feel the same way as Lilith here. Which is why part of me has to wonder if Lilith's just putting up a brave front. It's interesting Usopp raises the question of what exactly makes her the "evil" one, which is an idea we never really answered.

And of course, we do end off on what certainly seems to be a final note for Egghead Arc as a part of this story. I do have to say, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. Lilith feels well primed to pick up that New World thread we've talked about going forward, I could certainly see this shaking out in a way where we maybe have a chapter or two away from the Straw Hats to finish off this story and give some people like Drake a moment in the intermission. Then head right into a perfectly straightforward Elbaf arc. We could even do that interspersed with clearing up some of Egghead's lingering mysteries...

But there's still enough weirdness to make me wonder. One thing I've thought for a while is that if the Giants are already here, they can tag along for a bit of island hopping. On some level it's kinda weird to keep them and Bonney and Kuma and Lilith floating around but we of course don't know what Elbaf's story is so it could easily have a place for all that. What it really comes down to for me is that, as it stands, Elbaf really has no apparent conflict set up. Which could work if it's a Zou-type arc where we reset our course or something. But if say...something happens and this group gets blown off course I could see that too. Use an intermediate arc to set up something to do on Elbaf.

Of course, this final panel gives us something to think about too. Who is the mystery silhouette? Sadly we'll have to wait for a break week to really know the next steps. Which means I have a decision to make too. I get the feeling enough people like these writeups for their own sake, but the original intent was to maybe do a little bit about the next arc reflecting on where it ties up Wano themes. Hence "Post-Wano Musings" and I could never keep that hyphen consistent in the tags. Didn't expect Egghead to keep giving me a lot to talk about there. I also just kinda thought it was funny to call an entire arc as long as Alabasta "Post-Wano."

We still have a lot of oddities and through lines though, and those could easily be left hanging as we get to Elbaf. I think my plan is to switch it up and just make normal chapter reviews when we reach a new island, Elbaf or otherwise, with a new tag. I'm leaning towards "Massive Musings" for now, but maybe something better will come up before we get there.

[thelunarfairy]

Yashiro and Tsukasa's Relationship

You have to admit that kiss took you by surprise, didn't it? Suddenly Tsukasa, who had been missing for so long, returns in all his glory making everyone talk about him.

The war between Tsunene and Hanene had started hahaha I particularly found it interesting how most people didn't notice the signs that Tsukasa gave throughout the series about how he saw Yashiro.

We must assume that Tsukasa is a controversial boy, totally unpredictable and difficult to read, but one thing that helped me see the signs is that I like to separate the pieces before analyzing.

What do you mean, analyze the pieces?

I don't analyze Tsukasa in general, I divide it into periods. There is the 4-year-old Tsukasa, the 13-year-old and the sealed one. The three are the same person but they are totally different with some similarities.

Tsukasa child is kind, empathetic and emotional. 13 year old Tsukasa is similar, but we don't have much information about him yet, sealed Tsukasa is chaos, but apparently he is also emotional. We can now follow this side of him. The way Tsukasa was dealing with Yashiro in chapter 107 is surprisingly contrary to how he usually is.

For a boy who gets angry quickly and acts aggressively at the slightest opportunity when disturbed, reacting so patiently with a child who throws a tantrum, who screams and hits him shows that there is still the 4 and 13 year old Tsukasa there.

Looks like Hanako isn't the only one who's a good actor, twin thing, you know. It's funny how sometimes I can see the 13-year-old Tsukasa in him, always with that melancholy look…

It's as if in the midst of that chaos there is a calm that few people can see. This calm that Amane loved, but he couldn't bear the storms. So, it all started with Nene. Little Tsukasa's eyes shone for the first time in so long, someone hugged him so willingly.

So the stars, you know, those stars that always appear when the characters are enchanted, happy, or positively surprised by something

they appear here.

So he is relieved when Kou says he has never kissed her

He asks Yashiro if she likes him or his brother. He wanted to show Yashiro about Amane's past, and he does so from the beginning.

Then, the sealed Tsukasa takes her to the tea party and purposely makes her see Amane from the past. He makes Yashiro take the teacher's seal, and another piece of Amane's history.

Hahaha of course we know he uses Nene to take out the Yorishiros, I talked about that.

But let's focus on the relationship between them in addition to related objectives.

How does Tsukasa see Yashiro?

Isn't that the golden question? His eyes shine in childhood when she hugs him, he is relieved when Kou denied kissing her, he abruptly approaches her face when she denies kissing or dating Amane, he regresses when he almost hits her head on the floor when Yashiro got in the way with Mitsuba (scary), he might not have killed her but hurt her the same way he did Kou. Then, he returns to the school festival and asks her to play with him again, then the kiss and his good reaction to him.

Aren't they signs?

This doesn't guarantee anything, but the signs are there. The twin who would fall in love with the girl his older brother loves… What would be the best revenge for the older brother who killed him?

What if Amane had killed him because Tsukasa had fallen in love with the girl he loves? hahahaha this crossed my mind even though it seemed so unlikely, but was Tsukasa kissing Yashiro something you thought would happen?

But then, Amane feels guilty and doesn't accept any justification for killing someone. He punishes himself all the time thinking about it. But he would explain why he is so jealous and insecure (in part, because there is no shortage of reasons for Amane to be like this, I could list them all day hahaha)

But imagine, the classic story of twins who fall in love with the same girl and one of the brothers kills the other for the girl's love. And in a worse case scenario, what if he killed them both because they were guilty to him.

But what if Tsukasa decided to give up Nene because Amane fell in love with her?

Ok I exaggerated now, sorry XD hahahaha

It's funny how the relationship between the three fluctuates like that. In another post I talked about how it would work according to Tsukasa's goals. Using Nene to manipulate Hanako and remove the seals, if you want to know more about this hypothesis, click here.

But since we are talking about how their relationship would work without considering these goals, because there is a possibility, after all, Amane also had a goal but fell in love with Nene, why wouldn't Tsukasa be the same?

Maybe he was just fulfilling Amane's wish, to meet Nene again. Ah, the hypotheses, how could we adopt just one? There are so many possibilities…

But honestly? It seems that Tsukasa, dissatisfied and hurt that his brother killed him even though he sacrificed himself for him, may have felt that he didn't do enough.

Amane still hates me, what could I do to make him love me? What I did before wasn't enough, so what is his wish? Meet Nene again?

And Tsukasa didn't make that happen? He said he can feel a desire within the heart of whoever summons him, if that wasn't the only thing, what else would it be?

It's as if Tsukasa is spending the last of his energy to fulfill his older brother's wish, and Nene is part of that wish.

Melancholy, isn't it? You try hard to make the person you love most love you back, you think they hate you, so you do everything for them to make them love you, but in the end they stab you. When you regain consciousness, you are hurt, but you love him enough to forgive. So, you try again, you try to fulfill his wish, even if you have to disappear again (when your yorishiro seal is removed).

And you work so hard, but what will you get in return?

What will Tsukasa get in return?

I'm going to admit that I loved that Tsukasa kissed Yashiro, not because I ever considered Tsunene, but because it shows that Tsukasa was always much more than he shows us.

Because he is a storm, but you know, every storm has its lull.

[bethanydelleman]

Northanger Abbey Readthrough Ch 14

PEOPLE THIS IS THE BEST CHAPTER EVER!!!! We have reached the pinnacle of Tilney awesomeness...

my heroine was most unnaturally able to fulfil her engagement, though it was made with the hero himself. This always makes me think of Evelina by Fanny Burney, where the poor heroine always is taken places she doesn't want to go. Luckily for us, the country walk is actually happening! No Thorpes! No rain! Just charming Tilneys.

One of the best earnest quotes in Austen has happened!:

The narrator has taken more of a back seat at this point, but here we have the hero of the novel, openly admitting that not only does he read novels, but he loves them. Henry also seems to understand that Catherine has been mocked about this before, he's very overt in his appreciation of novels. And he calls on her to be proud of him for stealing a novel from his sister, which is just... 🥰🥰🥰 "I am proud when I reflect on it, and I think it must establish me in your good opinion.”

Now is Tilney a little pedantic? Yes. But I find it cute. Sue me.

"...But I really thought before, young men despised novels amazingly.” “It is amazingly; it may well suggest amazement if they do—for they read nearly as many as women.

Catherine has picked up a lot of language from Isabella and Mr. Tilney is subtlety (and not so subtlety) correcting it.

“Henry,” said Miss Tilney, “you are very impertinent. Miss Morland, he is treating you exactly as he does his sister. He is forever finding fault with me, for some incorrectness of language, and now he is taking the same liberty with you. The word ‘nicest,’ as you used it, did not suit him; and you had better change it as soon as you can, or we shall be overpowered with Johnson and Blair all the rest of the way.”...

“Very true,” said Henry, “and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk, and you are two very nice young ladies. Oh! It is a very nice word indeed! It does for everything. Originally perhaps it was applied only to express neatness, propriety, delicacy, or refinement—people were nice in their dress, in their sentiments, or their choice. But now every commendation on every subject is comprised in that one word.”

Henry is pointing out both overuse of the word nice and meaning drift. You see a lot of meaning drift comparing Austen's language to ours, words like wonderful, awful, interest, etc. Nice apparently used to mean something close to "neat" and now it means "pleasant" and Henry Tilney is in a battle to preserve it. Well sorry, Mr. Tilney, but you lost. He has a point though, the overuse of a word entirely dilutes it's meaning and can make it basically mean nothing at all.

I love Catherine's speech about history:

The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all—it is very tiresome: and yet I often think it odd that it should be so dull, for a great deal of it must be invention. The speeches that are put into the heroes’ mouths, their thoughts and designs—the chief of all this must be invention, and invention is what delights me in other books.

She's so right here!

Now while Catherine does spend a lot of time in awe of Henry Tilney and his wit, she does stand on her own opinions. She asserts that "torment" and "instruct" are synonymous and to borrow the phrase of another Austen woman, she will not be laughed out of her opinion! (Jane Bennet, P&P)

Eleanor and Henry soon begin to talk about the picturesque, and from the clues it seems they have opinions similar to Marianne Dashwood and her love of dead leaves. This section is the one I see most quoted by those who think Catherine is too stupid for Henry Tilney or that he is distasteful for wanting to marry an ignorant girl.

I will first point out that ignorance is not equal to stupidity, Catherine is eager to learn. Also, I doubt Henry would have anything to do with the vapid Isabella Thorpe. Catherine may be ignorant about drawing and have trouble with discerning motives, but she is in no way an idiot. If anything, Austen is mocking this sentiment:

Where people wish to attach, they should always be ignorant. To come with a well-informed mind is to come with an inability of administering to the vanity of others, which a sensible person would always wish to avoid. A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.

But Catherine did not know her own advantages—did not know that a good-looking girl, with an affectionate heart and a very ignorant mind, cannot fail of attracting a clever young man, unless circumstances are particularly untoward.

Does Henry enjoy being admired by Catherine in all his wit and knowledge? Undoubtedly, yes. But he also loves hanging around Eleanor who is just as intelligent as him (riot fears aside). The chief attraction here is not the ignorance. It's primarily the honesty. Here again we have Catherine fully prepared to admit that she doesn't like reading history and that she knows nothing of drawing. She doesn't pretend, she is a creature of no disguise.

Now we get to see Henry making very suggestive statements that go right over Catherine's poor head:

"...Miss Morland is not used to your odd ways.” “I shall be most happy to make her better acquainted with them.” “No doubt; but that is no explanation of the present.”

No doubt! Eleanor is shipping this couple hard. Good for her.

It was no effort to Catherine to believe that Henry Tilney could never be wrong. 

Oh Catherine, you've got it bad.

We hear from an Isabella clone (her younger sister), who was left behind from the Clifton Scheme, she is with two of the sweetest girls in the world, who had been her dear friends all the morning and says:

“They set off at eight this morning,” said Miss Anne, “and I am sure I do not envy them their drive. I think you and I are very well off to be out of the scrape. It must be the dullest thing in the world, for there is not a soul at Clifton at this time of year. Belle went with your brother, and John drove Maria.”

Girl, your speech is dripping with envy so much that even Catherine Morland, our intrepid heroine, realizes that you spouting bullshit.

I will give like, 1 half point to Thorpe for actually helping Isabella out and driving his sister to Clifton. But I award it very begrudgingly.

[aizenat]

I know I said this before, but I keep thinking about that person who asked about our take on how in the show, we never see Louis flirt with Lestat but we see him flirt with Jonah and then again with Armand in the teaser for season 2. And thinking about how that plays into the very interesting and disconnected narrative Louis tries to paint in the beginning of this story is s fascinating.

The way the Jonah scene is played, we're lead to believe that Louis is only doing that to "get back" at Lestat, who is rather unabashedly pursuing a fling with Antoinette. And we KNOW Louis is not happy with that. So since it's "allowed" to be open for both of them, he pursues Jonah, and thus the flirting.

But when we see him flirt with Armand in season two, for the most part, Louis has no reason to flirt with him to get back at Lestat. It's just him feeling Armand and wanting to pursue that. And it's funny because now that we're seeing this twice, we have to realize that Louis is flirtatious by nature. He flirts with men he likes. But if that's the case, why don't we ever see him flirt with Lestat?

I'm rewatching the series rn just for some background noise while doing some chores, and it's so funny seeing how Louis presents Lestat. As if he didn't see what would happen next coming. Lestat insults him when they meet, but wins him over at the card game. Lestat calls Louis his destiny, and Louis supposedly just thinks he's a weird European. Lestat relies on Louis to help him get settled in (builds a library, but we rarely see Lestat use it; Louis is the reader. Updates his clothes to styles more similar to Louis', etc).

But Louis tries to pretend he wasn't into this. No offense, but what man needs to accompany another man to get clothes? At night, too? If Lestat wanted to upgrade his wardrobe, he could have went to a tailors/whatever, and they would have pushed and encouraged whatever the modern trends were (especially when they saw how wealthy Lestat was). He didn't NEED Louis there, but there is Louis "helping." He admits that he "found himself" confiding all his struggles with another man outside of family (as though Lestat forced him to or some shit lol), and calls fucking Lestat his "coal fire" through the winter months.

It's obvious with these contradictions that what Louis is saying and what we're seeing isn't the full picture. He acts like he was just casually hanging out with Lestat, casually befriending him. But he admits that the clothes makers they went to had to open their doors later than normal, and that Louis was there for fittings and the such. He admits spending time with him, talking in parks, going to operas with him. And after all of that, admitting how much Louis made himself vulnerable to Lestat, then has the nerve to say he was being hunted. And even follows up saying "and I didn't even know it."

And sure, he didn't know Lestat was a vampire, so kinda fair. But in terms of their relationship, let's be honest: Louis was being courted, and he fucking knew it. And if he truly didn't like it, he would have cut it off quickly. Louis is obviously trying to play down how much he was courting Lestat back. Taking him to get clothes at night, going out for gumbo and stuff--foods Louis would have grown up eating and loving--walking around the park and putting him on to a bookseller Louis likely loved; Lestat was not the only one on the hunt.

I love watching this back and thinking to myself how Louis is trying to downplay how flirtatious he must have been with Lestat then. It was apparently so obvious to everyone around him that it got back to his sister how he was "catting" around town with a white man, but he wants us to believe that he was the one being hunted. It was so obvious that when Paul asks about their relationship at dinner, their sister and mother get quiet because they know damn well what it was.

But no, Louis, it was totally one sided and you def did not ever flirt with Lestat and make it known how much you were into him. Yeah, we buy that lol.

[im-not-a-l0ser]

So a while ago I did a poll on who Mark Chasity should date

For some reason, Ted Spankoffski won???? With Gary Goldstein (Attourney at Law) in second place.

Anyway, Officer Bailey made third, and I'd like to make my case for him and my opinion on the rest of the relationships.

I think that Officer Bailey and Mark Chasity would be so cute because they'd balance. Bailey is intense in an overcompensating way, and Mark Chasity is a sweetboi. Like it's such 😠👬😸 and I'm here for it.

I think that they could have a nice, domestic relationship, that Mark could make Bailey open up and be vulnerable.

Now, if you're uncomfortable with shipping characters played by the same guy, worry not! Many of us have decided that the cop in TGWDM (the guy who's not Sam lol) could easily be Bailey. And if that helps, do that. Because I love the idea of them.

Opinions of everyone else under the cut.

Okay, we're gonna talk about how these relationships would go, and I'm gonna go in decending order of who won. Which means:

Ted Spankoffski- I think that maybe it'd be a gay awakening hook-up? Nothing long term for them. Mark doesn't deserve that, honestly.

Gary Goldstein- This I think could be a longer term relationship, where they meet bc of some legal trouble or something like that, and they date for a few months, but Mark is overall neglected by Gary's busy worklife. They have a civil breakup, and maybe even a comforting relationship if they need a shoulder to cry on.

Offer Bailey- I already said, but I will continue to say: Bailey is someone Mark would consider separating Karen for. Someone he can just be with, and who keeps his life interesting without being abusive or rude to him, and who will be emotionally vulnerable with him, even if it's probably only with him. I think of of ever broke up, it would be so bittersweet. I think it would be Mark picking his religion and family over Bailey, and Bailey holding back tears while supporting him because he knows that his family means so much to him and since Bailey may have wanted something like that for so long (imagine him with a little girl omg) he'd understand even more

No one, he will never be happy- Sad, but realistic.

Dan Reynolds (with Action News, weekdays at 10 pm)- He's someone I highkey put to fill slots, so I'm surprised he made 5th. But like... I can sort of see it? Like, I feel like one would flirt with the other, and the other would either not notice or ignore them.

Bill Woodward (tied with Gerald Monroe)- I have mentioned how I think Bill is straight, and how it makes me sad bc I like him and Paul, but it's prolly one-sided. But it would be cute if he were queer. Someone said they met at church, which I love, but I just think Bill is (sadly) straight.

Gerald Monroe (tied with Bill Woodward)- I feel like this would be more of a similar relationship that he'd have with Max’s dad; a not-even-friends with benefits that's out if the public eye because they are bigots who happen to be attracted to men. They would both not treat Mark like a person, and while he might even enjoy that for a short period of time, he would realise that it's unbalanced and would eventually leave like he deserves.

Kyle's Dad- So, we don't know Kyle's Dad, I just thought it was a silly, cute idea. Besides Bailey, it's either Kyle or Jason's dad that I could see, just based on how nice their kids are when given the freedom.

General John MacNamara- Okay, I get it, it's a cute idea. Uh, Jon McNamara is married though and I don't wanna fuck that up.

Other (Put in Tags), AKA President Howard Goodman apparently- I think this is silly, but I actually like it. Especially if he is with Mark during/after his meeting with Wiggly. Because hooo boy, imagine that conversation. A stuck, frozen, breaking down Howie calling his long distance hubby and telling him 'I just met a dark god and almost died,' and Mark doesn't want to belittle his experience or preach in a moment of absolute madness, so he just doesn't know what to do? I see the appeal 100%

[toastofthetrashfire]

The Sign Episode 7 Thoughts

Showing abs is apparently necessary for good art (taking notes)

Okay but are they talking about having him paint him, make love, or kill him and make him a part of the art (they keep showing the art tools like torture tools)

That love scene was really beautiful, love the way it makes the art very visceral. The way it's framed reminds me a bit of Hannibal and the way bodies there are framed as art.

Ah so we are intentionally blurring the lines here between love making, art, and potential murder--cause the scene of him washing off the paint is pulled straight from a crime thriller. I like the contrast between the red paint and the blue lighting.

Interesting bathroom, the shot is really pretty, but logistically how do you shower without getting everything wet. The mirror is really interesting though. Practically it's a good way to make sure he gets all the paint off. But it also highlights how alone he is here, with only his own reflection to keep him company.

Yai why are you trying to stop Tharn from saving someone?

These guys are so bad at working, meanwhile Yai is telling Tharn not to get distracted from the job they're already all not doing

Oh I like the way the actor plays Mr. Montree. A lot of actors would overplay the sinister aspect to make sure the audience really gets it, but instead of any tension in his voice or body language, he comes across quite genuine and warm in his responses. We can still pick up the tension if we observe the captain and read between the lines of what he's saying. Nice!

Tharn, darling, maybe don't tip the guy off! I'm glad Yai told him that was stupid

Ah hello again Nat's abs!

Interesting that most of the guests are in black, white, or beige, but Mr. Montree is in blue and Phaya's grandma is in red. Of course those are the colors used in the painting and earlier with Art. It makes sense that Mr. Montree would stand out, but I'm curious why Phaya's grandma in particular. Will she become more important? Is she related to Mr. Montree in some way?

I'd love to know more about the artists and art they used for this episode. There's some really gorgeous pieces

Oh no a broken statue I'm getting Shadow flashbacks

Wait why would they detain Art? It was clearly an accident

Dr. Chachacha stepping up to say Art is his patient, what is this Hannibal? Dr. Chalecter over here! It's got to be an influence right? Cause I was getting similar vibes in the opening scenes too

I wonder if hysteria as a term has the same connotations as it does in Western psychiatry. Like is it still a term that's used medically? Or is it clearly outdated? If it's the later, why doesn't that raise any eyebrows? Either way it fits with his sinister role in the story and the way he riles Phaya up to cause problems and make it seem like Phaya is dangerous or hysterical. Say Art is hysterical and off his meds and you can discredit him. How much of that is Dr. Chalecter using some sort of power on people is hard to say.

Huh, even after that back and forth, I'm not quite sure what the show's perspective is here on mental illness. They aren't necessarily pushing back on the idea that it can make you dangerous, even if there's some nuance added. Though Dr. Chalecter did get in a funny burn telling Phaya: you're not mentally ill, your personality just sucks.

Okay I get that Phaya is acting like an idiot because he's scared, but my patience is a little thin. It's just not a dynamic I enjoy. I'm kind of hoping it really is Dr. Chalecter's doing.

Oooof Dr. Chalecter is over here distinguishing "normal" people vs mentally ill people. Rich and ableist! Despite the copganda the show is at least giving us evil psychiatrists.

No don't bring the charismatic psychiatrist into your police investigation! It's like the captain hasn't even seen Hannibal!

Did Kao's body get put into the art and that's why they can't find him?

Okay I guess I'm glad it wasn't portrayed as him killing out of madness or mental illness, that's a relief.

Tharn's visions are getting super convenient and helpful now. I like the touch of focusing on the clock in the flashback

Imagine being the poor cab driver. You pick up a guy with a bleeding neck and instead of going to the hospital he asks you to drop him somewhere sketchy

Why would you sit in the car to get evidence? Wouldn't that disrupt things?

These two have no chill, why are they bickering in front of everyone's salad. Also not sure why we needed a montage of the meeting.

Kitty Kitty Kitty Kitty!!!

Oh Phaya's little meow to deflect, adorable!

Huh the grandma's comments about not understanding people's motivations and everyone losing their minds are troubling. Feels in line with what the episode seems to be bringing up around mental illness. Even with Tharn's response, I'm not really sure what the show is trying to say about the topic. Kind of similar to last week's take on justice.

Kitty makes the perfect transition shot!

Interesting how the final scenes between Phaya and Tharn here mirror Art and Kao but with very different endings. Both begin in spaces where Art and Phaya make and display their art. Tharn and Kao are invited into these intimate spaces. But the couple's follow opposite trajectories--one betraying that intimacy (Kao) and the other (Thar) deciding to take a leap of faith and trust in it.

Art and Kao make love in a scene that may have just been a fantasy, but, real or not, the scene has a dream-like aesthetic that is edging into nightmare. We then learn they fought and separated.

In contrast, Phaya and Tharn talk, resonate with each other emotionally and come together. They then make love. Like, Art and Kao's love scene, there's a fantastic quality, but this one stays out of nightmare territory.

The mirrors are particularly notable. We end with mirror's capturing Phaya and Tharn together, intimate. While we began with Art in his bathroom, the mirrors highlighting how alone he is.

A final thought: It has been 4 weeks since Sand has graced our screens, now we must wait at least a week more and that is a true crime!