#i love shows (both for kids and adults) who have this kind of self awareness and run with it

[funishment-time]

Do you ever think about how Junko is canonically a devent enough caretaker that the warriors of hope loved her and felt safe around her (Jataro's fairytale art says a lot about how Junko treated him), how they have nothing bad to say about her even when told she was using them, how Junko saved 5 kids from committing suicide and treated them with more kindness than they had ever known.

And sure, manipulation and all, Monaca did have the resources Junko needed, but between her considering a killing game her way of showing affection towards her classmates, I can't help but think Junko did care about those kids, cared so much that she played both sides in a civil war to keep it going (Kurokuma and Shirokuma) and put those kids in a nightmare scenario disguised as heaven because despair is how she shows love.

Do ever think about how the warriors of hope are going to have to grow up with the knowledge that the one person who cared enough about them to save them over and over is also, like, the furry anti-christ.

anon i think about this CONSTANTLY. i think about how Junko was quite literally nothing but Good in the eyes of those kids and how i really don't know if they'll ever be fully "deprogrammed" so to speak. how do you tell four to five severely abused little babies that the person who saved them, treated them well, and showed them an iota of hope...was actually, like, worse than Hitler or whatever? the furry anti-christ indeed. even Nagisa, who seemed to be the most openly self-aware of Monaca's Wee Underlings, admitted that if Junko abused them, he'd rather she did it than adults/their parents.

maybe that's why the WOH got shafted a bit in the HPA arc's finale: there was no short way to Communicate what "saving" them mentally, physically, and tbh spiritually would have taken, if they could be saved at all. (granted, the way DR3 went was still stupid, but perhaps better than attempting any other ending narrative for them, all things considered.)

i do still wish we could have one tiny little manga about them post-DR3, though. i don't need therapy speak and softness and tears, that's for fanfic, but like one panel of indication that someone's keeping tabs on them from afar. maybe dropping them medical supplies and new clothes every six months. tag and release with the feral cats, y'know. that's it

[hubristicassholefight]

Hubristic Asshole Fight: Round 1 Part 1b

Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars) vs Feanor (The Silmarillion)

Propaganda below cut

Anakin

Decided that he would become stronger than death to stop those he cares about from dying after failing to accept his mother's death. When he begins getting visions/nightmares like he had before losing his mother of his wife dying in childbirth, he decides to team up with an evil sorcerer and mastermind to learn the secret to stopping death. The price he willingly paid was leading the slaughter of the community of peacekeeping monks who had raised him from nine years old, feeling guilt about his heinous betrayal even as he unflichingly continued the massacre (sunk cost fallacy to a very extreme degree). The unintended price he paid was the loss of his limbs and independence after his injuries during a fight with his mentor and brother figure, his wife dying on childbirth due to the great stress of his heinous actions, and being separated from his children until they were adults firmly opposed to the imperial regime he became the attack dog for (only knowing of their survival until after he had personally attacked them both); He literally did not have to do any of that. his wife Padmè very very very very much did not want him to do any of that. He was completely absorbed in his own inability to deal with loss that he deadlock refused to consider losing family again and then he went and killed what amounted to his extended family, his wife and the man who raised and guided him from age 9. And his own kids unknowingly. In terms of accomplishing your goals there really really wasn't much more he could have fucked up. And when it comes down to key moments, all he had to do was not cut off mentor and co-worker Mace Windu's hand with a laser sword and everything would have been fine. He's a nominee for Fail King of All Time to me

He thinks he's hot shit which, he is, but like cool it dude you don't have to mass murder maim mutilate your way through life to prove you're the extra most specialest bestest psychic space wizard;

Hubrised so hard he 1) lost his limbs and his skin 2) became what he hated 3) caused the very death he sought to prevent, betraying and destroying himself for nothing; So soaking wet and self aware that he cried committing atrocities. If he knew what hubris was, he'd agree he has a lot of it

Feanor

The definition of hubris. Created the silmarils who were so perfect even the gods praised them. Got them stolen by the gods evil brother (so essentially fantasy satan). Then decided to go fight the evil god to get the silmarils back and swore an oath binding him and his sons to get them back no matter who would stand in their way. This drastically backfired when some other elves stood in his way so he murdered them. Got cursed by the gods for this (together with his entire family and everyone who followed them). Told the gods that they were of the same kind as fantasy satan and that they would end up following him

Morgoth (a god) shows up at his house and Feanor (professional hater of gods) tells him to get fucked* and slams the door in his face. *”Get thee gone from my gate thou jail-crow of Mandos!”; He has never spent anything wrong ever aside from all the war crimes.

The Valar (gods) asked Feanor for help in saving the world from being in total darkness and he said “no, figure it out yourselves”. Repeatedly and intentionally goes against their orders leading to war and chaos; I know it’s left open ended to what really happened to him after he died, but I hope he never repents. I hope he stays an antagonistic and egotistical bastard after being reimbodied (brought back to life) and continues to make it everyone else’s problem. I love him.

I’m gonna have to try to do this without a sing Tolkien scholarship words so bear with me. Basically my dude is one of the smartest and most talented elves in the world. Unfortunately he has a lot of daddy issues AND mommy issues largely due to the fact that his mom died when he was a kid and decided not to come back (as elves can do). No one else has this problem. He invented a ton of important stuff and had seven sons. His most prized creation was three gems called the Silmarils, which contained the light of the Two Trees, which gave light to the world before they were destroyed. When the Valar (the gods of Tolkien’s world) asked if they could use the Silmarils to potentially create another light source, he emphatically refused and in fact became so jealous of them that he and his sons swore an oath that anyone who so much as touched them would die by their swords. Sauron’s boss steals the gems and Feanor decides that he will lead his people on a crusade to retrieve and avenge them. This results in the death of him, most of his people, and almost his entire family minus one of his sons, Galadriel, and Elrond; He once yelled at the devil to get off his lawn

went to war with morgoth (satan basically) against the will of the gods and made a whole speech to said gods about how they were gonna feel really silly when he killed morgoth and saved the whole world. he never actually did battle with morgoth because he died on like day 1 of getting to middle earth (he left like 2/3 of his forces behind because he didn’t trust them) and spontaneously combusted upon his death; he’s a huge asshole and a mad scientist and linguist and prince with daddy issues and also mommy issues

Dude thought he could win a fight with the devil, tried to just walk into Angband (Mordor before Mordor actually existed), made an oath to kill everyone that tries to take his creations even the Valar (angelic like beings) and ends up causing his death, his sons deaths and a bunch of other deaths; His name is quite literally spirit of fire Is basically regarded as THE greastest elf Is in fact THE best smith of the elves and crafts their most precious jewels (that end up causing so much death) Is THE linguist to the point of creating the alfabet every one uses even after The Crimes, creates a bunch of things that are used even after The Crimes actually Loves his dad more than the things he made Is the only recorded elf with seven kids Is married to a sculpter that is so good that people confuse her statues as actual people (a propaganda because he had to be good to actually bag her you know) Manages to create jewelry so good even the the angelics beings sent by god are surprised he managed to do it So good at making speeches that it leads to a rebellion against said angelic beings and a lot of people to leave paradise with him His mother died because his spirit was too powerful Invented kinslaying after trying to steal some boats for said rebellion Swears an oath that destroys his whole family (but adds a great flavour to the rest of the story) Tells the devil to fuck off and slams his house door on said devils face Dies via auto combustion because his spirit was just too powerful for a normal death Gets stuck in the afterlife (that elves can usually just return from) for spiting the Valar Is said he will have an important role in Tolkien’s version of Ragnarok by letting the jewels he previously promised to kill for be destroyed to defeat the devil

Because of his pride, he went against the gods because the evil god Morgoth stole his life's work (the Silmarils, 3 shiny gems that radiated the light of the two trees that a huge evil spider had sapped dry). Swore (with his 7 sons) an oath to hunt Morgoth and retrieve his shiny gems. Commited kinslaying, burned some boats, combusted to ashes after suffering mortal wounds at the hands of corrupted demi-gods. Consequences of his actions could be seen long long after his death: the oath was passed on to his sons to hopelessly fulfill (failure after failure, including two more kinslayings, one of them casting himself into a fiery volcano, another wandering the shores for eternity);

[ayoalex]

I find the whole "Zuko should help Azula for her redemption arc" so annoying because their relationship is way too complicated and thus is not gonna work. Both need to be in a good mental and emotional place to be possible.

And Azula doesn't need another kid/teenager, she needs an ADULT that show her unconditional love, kindness and compassion. That actually sees her.

No, not Iroh. Not Ursa either.

The thing with Azula, that we don't see often in other Fire Nation Royals, is that she has so much self awareness and does so much self reflection that putting Iroh/Zuko/Ursa to help her is just... 0 effective.

She understand her place in the world, she understand what happened to her and has actually even reflect to it and even acknowledge and accept it. That's the other big difference between Zuko and Azula.

She doesn't need to be point out that Ozai is awful and could probably hurt her if she doesn't fall in line, she already knows. Thus becoming the person we see in Atla.

Azula already accepts who she became, what Ozai molded her to and the problem is that as growing up she's never shown actual unconditional love, she's taught so many bad things that she has problems with expressing her love as well.

She doesn't need a redemption, she needs healing. She need an actual adult to show her that unconditional love that for her entire life no one wanted to give her. It needs to be platonic, it needs to be an adult, it needs to be someone outside of the Royals.

And Azula, like the smart girl she is, will acknowledge that love; which is going to be really difficult for both as Azula is used to conditional love; and start a process of self reflection which will lead her to finally detach herself to the "I'm a monster" mentality.

When that happens, when she's finally in a better mental and emotional state, she will reach out to her family and friends. It will be hard and rigorous but Azula does love Zuko and always wanted a relationship with her mom, and now that's she's better she will be able to give unconditional love and support, she will be able to point out how they've hurt her and her boundaries with them.

And of course for this to be effective both Ursa and Zuko need to get better themselves and put behind that awful image they have of Azula (which only constantly fuel her bad state of mind).

Giving Aang to Azula as a bestie cuz I think he will help her a lot spiritually talking and I think she would help him as well to things Aang struggle too

[angy-grrr]

I don't even care if Iz/och becomes canon just PLEASE do not make Ochako a house wife i'm begging on my knees not even her va likes it

I love her VA so much, she just gets it -Ochako is a HERO, not a heroine that lives for her children even before they exist.

In one hand, I agree that we need more characters who are both moms and badass, with their own lives and adventures while being part of their kids lives -but I dont think Ochako should fulfill this role at all. Trad shonen already does this thing of associating girls and women exclusively with love and motherhood; they fight, live and die because of these things -to save the hero, the make the hero happy, to motivate the hero, to even birth him, to make him a complete man-, almost exclusively.

I would very much prefer Ochako to look like she is like that, like her whole character focuses on loving Izuku, but actually has her own ideals and character that do differ from him, and even better -could even scare him away. This is why I love weirdo Ochako so much, she is aware of how her actual 100% honest self would make her be rejected by others including him, because she, herself, would be dangerous by them misunderstandings, just like they did with Himiko.

She chooses to not hurt others and to not see her quirk as a tool for violence because society allows her to view it that way. Because she looks normal. If they didnt? If she was more honest? Probably would end in a completely different way.

Tbh, the heroine as a character, In my point of view, is made to show the audience how much of a man the hero became -he is at the end of the series an adult, in terms of spirit many times, and as such needs to be interested romantically in a woman, and have a relationship. Kids have crushes, from afar -men and women are in love, and dating. Trad shonen do have many times a passing rite for manhood theme, and she works to end it -shes not important as a person, just so we can understand he is, truly, a mature adult.

I believe this epilogue doesnt end with Izuku becoming a man -or any of them really. They are back at school, growing and more mature than before, and they arent done with anything, and besides this, her character doesn't benefit from it, so im definitely not expecting her to become a mother by the end of it all.

Theres only a part of my heart that still feels it can happen and with anxiety waits for an answer, because BNHA is a shonen, and shonen isnt kind to women.

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Can we get a mitsuri like reader with the characters? Well minus the demon slaying part. The reader's hair color is almost impossible to get and because of this they used to be insecure thinking everybody will think they are weird so they dyed it. Basically mitsuri's past with the marriage and stuff.

Here, hope, you liked it.

Mitsuri-Like! Reader

Slight! Self-Aware! Platonic! Kyuusaku Yumeno x GN! Mitsuri-Like! Reader

Description: You were hiding your strength for years. But, sometimes, you can't hide it.

Reader have good parents. Reader's partner left them. Q's gender isn't specified.

Warning: OOC. Q almost got crushed. English is my second language.

Your father and mother were always strong.

Your mother could carry around heavy baskets with laundry. Your father could carry around heavy bags. And you, his child.

You, still a small child at that point of time, wanted to be as strong as both of your parents. So you can help them.

You picked up a rock twice your size when you were a toddler.

Since that day, your life has changed.

You were strong. As strong as an adult. An adult, who was training every second of their lives.

Your parents were happy. They called you their superhero. Their precious child.

Your appetite grew with your strength. At the age of five, you were eating as much as three sumo wrestlers.

And then, your [H/C] hair become pink with lime green tips. Your father, jokingly, suggested, that it happened because of you eating "mountains" of sakura mochi.

Somehow, your parents start to adore you even more, after your hair colour changed.

Everything was fine. Your parents loved and supported you.

And then you start going to school.

And people start talking about you.

"Your hair... Is it dyed? What do you mean, it's not? Are you sure that you are human?"

"How you managed to eat all this food? What are you? A pig? Or a black hole in human costume?"

"[Y/N], we are glad to have you on our team, but, to tell the truth... Your strength is terrifying. It's not normal."

"You are a freak!"

Year after year. Comment after comment. You tried not to show them, but their words hurt you.

You are not a freak. You are normal human. You have human emotions. You have human dreams.

You graduated and got into college. Your fellow students still looked at you funny from time to time, but, at least, they weren't talking about you.

At college, you met them. Your partner.

They were kind and smart. In your eyes, everything in them were perfect.

You were happy together. After a few years of dating, you decide to get married.

At least, it was the plan.

_______________

"I think, we should break up"

"Why? W-what did I do wrong? I am sorry, I will change, I will be better..."

"You can't change it! Your strength is horrifying! And your hair... Do you understand, that there is a chance, that any of your biological kid could inherit it! That they also will be freaks!"

"..."

"Goodbye, [Y/N]"

_______________

You were devastated. Their rejection was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The next night, you dyed your hair [H/C]. You can't change your freakiness. But, you can pretend that they never existed.

You tried to ignore your parents' gazes. They were devastated, that their precious child were hurt. And that they couldn't do anything to console you.

___________

For a few years you were 'hiding'.

You didn't show your strength. You ate less, if someone was watching. And then ate a 'normal-sized (for you) meal', when you were alone.

It was hard. You feel terrible for lying about yourself. You are allowed to be strong, right? You are allowed to have unique hair, right? You are allowed to have a huge appetite, right? And you are allowed to have friends and partner, right?

Right... But, most people you have to deal with, still questioned your rights to have friends, strength, pink hair and big appetite.

You think, that you can pretend for years to come. Maybe, one day, the mask will become reality.

Until then, you have your hobbies to distract you from sadness. From earning for acceptance.

To distract yourself, you start playing games, watching anime and reading manga.

That's how you learned about Bungou Stray Dogs.

___________

You looked in a mirror. You were planning to dye your hair again. Because, only tips of your hair remained [H/C]. The rest of your hair became pink/lime green again.

How did you manage to forget to dye your hair? Well, because you were busy. With moving in. And with fixing the house.

Fitzgerald bought a house large enough to fit all of you. Unfortunately, the house itself need some serious fixing.

So, with your hair covered with a scarf, you, and the others, were painting walls, fixing light and so much more.

That's how you missed the time of hair dyeing.

For one moment you thought, that you could let your hair be. Show others the real you.

But you were afraid.

You aren't sure, how your new friends will react to your real hair colour. To your strength.

They didn't judge you for your appetite, but, you always thought, that your appetite was the least abnormal of your... quirks.

So, you don't want to make BSD Cast uncomfortable. You will dye your hair.

While you were preparing hair dye, you heard a noise from the common room. You put a towel around your head, covering your hair, and come to investigate.

Common room, currently, were almost empty. Elise and Q were playing a game of tag there. Right now, they can run there as much as they want. There wasn't any furniture, besides a large wardrobe. The old, heavy wardrobe creaked menacingly.

The wardrobe came with the house. It was also heavily damaged. The wood was old and rotten. Unfortunately, it was impossible to be taken apart, without getting splinters. So, to get rid of it, it had to moved whole. Unfortunately, right now, Kenji's strength were needed in moving materials and furniture.

Q and Else were having fun.

Then Q lost their balance and slipped. They bumped into a wardrobe.

You heard a creak.

The wardrobe was falling right on Q.

You react Immediately.

Like a lightning flash, you ran towards Q. The towel was laying on the floor.

You ducked under the falling wardrobe, and caught it, with both hands.

Holding the old furniture above your head, you start moving towards the large back door.

You, with the wardrobe in your hands and your pink/lime green hair, 'paraded' before BSD Cast, who hurry to the common room, after hearing the loud creak.

You throw the wardrobe outside through the back door.

After finishing with 'cleaning up', you turned towards Q. Child were still laying on the ground, really shaken up. You carefully approached them.

"Q? Dear, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Kyuusaku shook their head. They carefully stand up, blink a few times, then looked at you with an adoring look. Q hugged you.

"You saved me! And your hair is so pretty!"

"Is it new hair dye, [Y/N]?" you heard Kyouka's question.

You own them an explanation.

_________

🐾 They took it well. You are still you, no matter, how strong you are, or what colour your hair is.

🐾 They will tell you every day, that you are not a freak. You are very good person.

🐾 Will judge your partner for leaving you. Will assure you, that it's their loss.

🐾 Q became your biggest fan. They were ready to find everyone, who wronged you, and use Dogra Magra on them. Listen to you, when you forbid them from doing it.

🐾 For BSD Cast, you are the most perfect person in the whole world.

[bookwyrminspiration]

(warning: this is... long. i had to put post dividers on this to make it readable. i would have put a read more but i can't in an ask, sorry.)

i think the most puzzling thing of all about this drama is that like.... i've been doing this forever. i've been posting keefe/fintan stuff (not regularly, but still!) since at least feb 2022 on the dolentsnows account. hell, i KNOW i've even talked about tam/linh specifically before then, though i can't remember if it was public or not.

and there was no problem! people just blocked each other and filtered and it was fine!

i'm frankly just. SO confused as to why that post of all things is what set it off. like guys. what.

also, re: "it normalizes pedophilia/incest/abuse/whatever" my posts get like ten notes max, most of those being likes from my dear mutuals who dont necessarily love the stuff i do but still wanna show they support me anyway.

if you'd just think for a minute, i think it's pretty easy to see that no one's gonna be converted into a sex freak any time soon.

and the fact that people are calling me a pedophile for... *checks notes* writing about characters that are the same age as i am or older in relationships with adults is. something. especially considering that:

in all the ACTUAL content i've made, excluding ONE post about alvar being keefe's gay awakening, the characters have been over the legal age in france (my country), so even the "it's illegal" argument falls apart.

why do you immediately assume i'm imagining myself to be the adult here? you don't know what's going on in my life. you don't know my reasons for doing what i do. i started shipping those kinds of ships ever since i was a pretty young kid, and i don't have to explain myself to anyone. (note: i am not a victim of csa, just want to make that clear. i've got other shit going on. but also you guys don't actually care about survivors and it's obvious.)

and fun fact: incest is legal in france as well, as long as it's between two consenting adults. i have decided, right now, effective immediately, that linh and tam are both over 18 in those drawings. since it's legal it means there's no problem right?

all this to say, let's just drop the whole "legal = moral, illegal = immoral" train of thought right here.

i do have one thing to apologize for, though: i didn't properly tag the first post. that has since been rectified and i've added community labels for good measure. i have and will apologize again for that mistake because it was entirely on me. i'm genuinely sorry to the people who saw that with no warning and i won't make that mistake again going forward.

but i also know that there are people who clicked on some of my posts even after i added the community labels and then complained (in my ask box, no less!) and to those i say: just read the tags, guys. they're still visible even with the community labels hiding the post.

sorry for the angry tone, but i am kind of miffed about all this. mostly that it turned into such a big deal when it really didn't have to be.

to conclude: stay strong out there guys, hopefully modern fandom will develop basic internet skills one day.

No worries about the length or tone, you're good.

I believe the reason that one post sparked issue is because, I don't know if you're aware, there's actually been a pretty significant surge in new fans in the past few months following info about Unraveled.

So while you have been here and posting your stuff for a while, for a good chunk of the currently active people, I think that was their first time seeing you. And also possibly one of their first times seeing art/ships like that up close, since keeper tends to be a first/earlier fandom.

Hence the stronger reaction. Though I don't think it's fair to blanket statement say they don't care about survivors. That's the sort of strawmanning/ad hominem talk that leads to shutting down/self-defense that doesn't get us anywhere. We can all rise above logicial fallacies <3

But anyway, the worst seems to have passed, unless we all feel like regressing for some reason :)

[aromanticannibal]

Hi fellow writers. French words for you.

I just saw one too many posts showing off cute French petnames that are incredibly cringe to me in French, so here's a list that also tells you the connotations of different terms and their exact translation. If anyones worried about my validity (which would be fair don't trust people on the Internet), I'm a born French speaker, bilingual in English and currently in my first year of an English literature formation in university.

I also put a guide to swearing at the end because I think it's always fun to know how to swear in as many languages as possible.

Also, there's nothing about pronunciations because god knows I'm bad at that, so sorry. (Edit as of November 2023 : I'm going to try to add some tips on that front, but see how to pronounce things on WordReference if you need to).

Warning, it's a bit long. ⬇️

Je t'aime = I love you

Very vague guide to pronunciation : é = ey, -e at the end of the sentence is rarely pronounceable and generally indicates that the letter before it should be pronounced, ^ <- this is completely useless and doesn't do anything, è <- how you pronounce the letter A

Romantic petnames (and other expressions)

Je t'aime bien = I like you, I kinda like you - casual, can be used in a "I kinda like you, actually" kind of moment

Je t'adore = I adore you - Unlike in english, Je t'adore has the implication of excitement and big happiness in the moment, rather than worship or adoration (for example, you'll also say j'adore ça = I love this! about a thing you really like. For instance : J'adore My Hero Academia!) Can be used for friends.

Mon amour = my love - gender neutral (like few things in french), is generally very romantic but can be used by a mom or an aunt to her young children sometimes. You can also just say amour, though I hear it less in the part of France I'm in (Paris banlieues) I think it's popular in some places.

Mon chéri, ma chérie = comes from cher/chère = dear, so my dear, my darling. former is masculine, latter is feminine. Can be used by parents for their children, or condescendingly. You can just say chéri or chérie withoit the possessive in front of it.

Bébé = baby, gender neutral. It's like baby or babe in english (I dislike it personally but many people use it, generally young adults or teenagers). You can eventually say mon bébé (still gn), "mon" being a possessive pronoun, but it's less casual. Both can also be used by a mom/aunt, like mon amour.

(I'll say it here, but we don't actually say "mon cher/ma chère" much anymore, unless it's in a jokey or sarcastic way. It's just too fancy)

Ma belle/Mon beau = my beautiful, my pretty. The former is feminine and way more common than the latter, masculine, but you can still say it. Some fathers will call their daughters ma belle, it's not necessarily creepy but it can be.

Mon cœur = my heart, gender neutral. Pretty popular in couples, can be used in a family context too. Even with the possessive pronoun it's pretty casual, if not cheesy.

(Mon) trésor = (my) treasure. A pretty known one as far as I'm aware. It's pretty cute, just saying trésor is more casual. Gender neutral.

Mon amoureux/mon amoureuse = my lover (former masc, latter fem), VERY cheesy and kind of childish. "amoureux/se" literally means in-lover or something, someone who's in love (comes from être amoureux/se, to be in love). Elementary schoolkids ask who's your amoureux/se and you say I have an amoureux/se as a kid to say I have boy/girlfriend.

Mon adoré(e) = my beloved, the (e) is for the feminine form. feminine = adorée, masculine = adoré. This one is pretty fancy, unless your couple is very obnoxiously cheesy or actually gods/royalty/nobles, I wouldn't recommend using it too much.

Mon chat (my cat) + mon chaton (my kitty) = gender neutral, self explanatory. very cutesy, often used by older family members for younger family members. My godmother calls me mon chat and my aunt calls her youngest mon chat or just chat. I'd advise you to not use the feminine of chat (chatte) if you fear stupid jokes because it also means pussy.

In the same breath, Minou is a cutesy term for cat. It's not really used but if your french character has a catboy/girl partner, it's very well placed. Minette is a more feminine version of this word but it has kinda predatory connotations. A weird old dude talking about a young pretty waitress might call her a Minette. It can also be aggressive, a way to call someone - generally a girl - weak or pathetic. You can probably use it in a cute way though, but don't use it in a teasing way unless you want the implications that come with it.

And to follow through the predatory connoted petnames :

poupée = doll, feminine. It can be used in a cute way but is more often that not used in a I just whistled at you in the street and am now catcalling you way. Same thing as previous word, use it carefully. You can add ma in front of it as a possessive pronoun if you want I guess. (Here it will always be ma and poupée even if the character uses masculine pronouns, because the word poupée is feminine.)

There are a shit ton of random petnames we can make up, like ma tarte à la pomme (my apple pie), ma gaufre en sucre (my sugar waffle), mon ours en peluche (my teddy bear), mon sucre d'orge (my candy cane) but like. If I list all of them I won't ever be done with this post.

If you really want a cutesy nickname that's very personal to your otp, like I don't know if your fandom is called The Cyborg Of the Sea and your OTP is a pirate cyborg and a french dude, and you want your french dude to call your pirate cyborg something cheesy and very specific like my gold searching cyborg (mon cyborg chercheur(m)/chercheuse(f) d'or), just figure out an English version of your petname and translate it into a translator or something. Ideally not Google Translate.

The best would be to actually ask a french person, because there's subtlety to every language that most online translators are too dumb to give you, but not all of you have a handy french guy close to you. (If you want some good translators, use Linguee or WordReference or even Reverso but like please not GT).

Misc. words (insults)

I have to teach you people swears, I just have to.

Interjections (what you say when you stubbed your toe)

Putain = fuck. Literally, a putain is a sex worker, it's a derogatory term we use more as sort of fuck nowadays.

Merde = shit.

Bordel = also fuck, kind of. It can also mean something that's really messy. Something is in bordel when it's messy as shit. Bordel originally means a place where there's sex workers basically. (e.g.: C'est le bordel dans ta chambre! = It's a mess in your room! <- my mother everyday)

Fun fact, you can fuse these insults to make a more powerful insult. Notably,

Putain de merde,

Bordel de merde,

Putain de bordel de merde.

You can also say C'est quoi ce bordel (what is this shit, what the fuck). Or, C'est quoi ce putain de bordel. Of course.

Dégueulasse = disgusting, can both be used independently or as a descriptive term. Rude version of Dégoûtant.

Insults, for people

Pute = now this is the insult for sex worker. Don't use to actually refer to a sex worker unless you want it to be in a derogatory way. Can be used to call someone a slut I guess. Often used between girls as just an insult without the sex worker connotation. Also used to insult people's mom. "Ta mère la pute" means "your mom the prostitute" basically. Rarely meant specifically to say someone's mom's a prostitute, just to insult their mom. And of course, "Fils de pute" shortened to FDP, the Call of Duty voice chat insult, literally Son of a bitch.

Salope = slut/whore

Salopard = salope but man. technically not the same insult because it doesn't have the same connotation, it doesn't have the slut vibes. so salope and salopard can be used for both genders technically, but salope is feminizing and really just means slut while salopard kinda is used in the same way as asshole, especially if it's to insult a coward or someone who betrayed you.

Saloperie = shitty little thing, basically. When a weird bug just landed on my leg I get up in a panic and go what the fuck is this saloperie.

Connard, Conasse = former is masc, latter is fem. Just a general insult. I call my father a connard a lot. Can be used affectionately between close friends if they're that kind of friends.

Bâtard = bastard. Technically masculine (the feminine would be bâtarde) but no one cares, just say bâtard. It's genuinely the same word as in English, one of the words where the ^ is tranformed into a s (hôpital->hospital, hôtel->hostel...)

Enculé = generally masculine, literally sodomized. Not used literally, generally just another way to call someone a dick, but enculer is still a verb, that's used either as getting fucked over or as sodomized.

Trou du cul = hole of the ass~ asshole. We're fancy like that. shortened can be trouduc'. Really not one of the fancy one.

Beurrette = technically not a swear, but it's another derogatory term for sex worker, more specifically used as a way to imply someone's a prostitute. In a bad way obviously. I learnt this word from a weird tomboy I had a crush on in elementary.

Nique ta mère = fuck your mom. Not used literally, godbless, it's mostly to say go fuck yourself. And by the way,

Va te faire foutre = get fucked. the safe for work version is va te faire mettre, which means get done? get put, something like that.

Va te faire enculer = get sodomized specifically. I like this one.

Je m'en bas les couilles = I don't care, I don't give a fuck, literally I'm beating my balls about it. Very extra.

Je m'en branle = same as last one, except branler is a familiar word for to masturbate, so... I'm masturbating about it. Literally. Expression not actually used in a sexual context.

Bite = dick. (pronounced like the word beat) Not used as an insult, but :

Tête de bite = dickhead, actually used as an insult. A bit silly.

French people are susceptible to just put together random insults together to create an interjection if we stubbed our toe very hard.

Merde can be used to insult someone by saying petite merde (little shit, same connotation) grosse merde (fat shit, someone who's REALLY a dick) sale merde (dirty shit, bit more aggressive than the others) in general adding sale (imagine the A in black) in front of an insult can make it worse.

also, démission = resignation. Go yell macron démission with the others if you're in Paris right now it's fun I swear /j. macron explosion is fun too.

I hope you enjoyed whatever this is, if you ever have questions about French do ask I love answering questions about my stupid language.

[oneatlatime]

Ten episodes in!

Roughly half way through the first season, so it's time for a bit of a round up of my thoughts and impressions.

First, and most important: IT'S SO PRETTY. Seriously! The animators didn't have to pour so much love into each background and sunset, but they did! Introductory shots that last for three seconds or less ought to be framed and hung on a gallery wall. And I think that really sets the tone for the rest of this show: as a viewer, you can feel that everyone who worked on this show has love for it. There are background flourishes, pauses in plot for character and vice-versa, delicate and thoughtful treatments of difficult themes, and just so much heart. Not insincere performative heartwarming chicken noodle soup for the soul forward to five of your friends and then the whole bus clapped garbage either. Genuine heart. I feel like I'm watching something that is well loved, that comes from a happy home.

And that heart is the reason this show works. The concept of 'Kids' cartoon about a genocide survivor' never would have made it off the drawing board otherwise. It still sounds crazy when I type it out.

My thoughts so far on the characters:

Aang: Sweet little guy. Literally the only child currently alive not born into a world at war, and it shows. Also exactly the dose of fun and light-heartedness that the world as it is seems to be lacking. Has enviable serenity and a deeply rooted sense of self/self-confidence (probably thanks to Gyatso) that most adults don't. Deceptively deadly, if he ever chose violence. I am really hoping that the show doesn't make him grow up and kill people. He's lovely as he is right now.

Katara: Huge heart, too much trust. Intense. Frankly a bit much at times. Certainly feels way too much quite often. Ride or die for Aang. Would kill for and kill her brother. PEAK little sister. Has a borderline irrational amount of compassion that, when paired with her explosive temper, would make her the most deadly person in the world if it ever got twisted around to face the wrong direction (if that makes sense - like the potential for some really bad outcomes is there). Totally the girl who stole from the mall in 8th grade. Not over her mother's death to a borderline annoying degree. Tries so hard to be an adult, but keeps slipping up and acting her age.

Sokka: My favourite by a mile. Funny, delightfully sarcastic, wicked smart, can keep up with (and in fact is in charge of babysitting) the most powerful bender in the world and a fairly volatile, half-trained bender with temper problems. Perceptive (looking at you, Jet). Also ride or die for Aang and Katara, just in a more quiet way. The fact that he was willing to single-handedly face down a fire nation ship and certain death to protect his family & village kind of says it all. Either completely over his mom's death or has bottled up all emotion to the point where he wouldn't recognise her if he passed her on the street. Swings regularly between far too old for his years and half-grown teenage boy with manliness issues. Motormouth. Somehow both comic relief and linchpin. If he ever gets really quiet, you'll know things are getting serious - like there's a fire nation ship about to attack his village.

Appa: How many times has his big fluffy butt saved the day? Understands an amount of English that changes from episode to episode depending on the needs of the plot. Probably as deadly as Aang, if he chose to be, except with teeth and several tonnes of weight too. Both Aang's dog and Aang's dad. Why does he have six legs? Do extra legs present any flying advantages? Are they just for enhanced hugging? I hope so. There's a reason he's plastered all over this blog and it's not his martial prowess.

Momo: I'm not sure if he knows what's going on? Appa and the humans are very much aware that they're all on a quest, but I think Momo is just chilling. Can be very useful when he feels like contributing (thinking of the pirates and the keep-away scroll shenanigans), but is certainly the group's cat-equivalent. Also seems to vary wildly in size depending on the needs of the animators. I love his noises.

Zuko: I don't know? Winter Solstice Part 1 Zuko and Waterbending Scroll Zuko are two different people. Either highly volatile with wildly inconsistent reactions, or poorly written. Judging by the quality of the rest of this show, where even episodes I hate contain something I love, I'm guessing it's the former? Either way, it must be pretty exhausting to be Zuko. Has drive for days, smarts, leadership, logistics, and seamanship abilities, and temper problems. Oddly, his temper seems to be his most predictable aspect. I can predict what will set him off (most everything) much more accurately than I can gauge what crawled up Katara's butt. I honestly thought he was in his twenties, probably late twenties, until it was mentioned that he was 16. He comes across as much more adult, despite (or maybe because of?) the temper tantrums. Then again, if that Zhao guy is representative, maybe fire nation tempers run hot?

Iroh: Much more consistent characterisation. Something going on here. Deep well of firebending knowledge contrasted with doddery old man persona/personality (which is it?) contrasted with some not-so-subtle attempts to obstruct Zuko's quest. I'd better not find out that he's been leading Zuko on a wild goose chase for years.

Love Bumi, love what little I've seen of Gyatso, Roku seems pretty calm, Zhao is an asshole, but he's so good at it.

Relationships:

Whoever wrote Sokka & Katara's interactions obviously grew up with siblings. I'm not sure I've ever seen such accurate sibling dynamics on television. Long-suffering super smart idiot of an older brother attempting mostly in vain to claim some authority vs. ruthless little sister with a nose like a bloodhound for mocking opportunities and a contractual obligation to sharpen her claws on said brother. That's good stuff, and I love to see it.

Zuko & Iroh, partly thanks to Zuko's inconsistent character, flip flop between long-suffering mentor and hot-headed student (episodes 1 & 2), bickering old couple who love each other really (Winter Solstice Part 1 & 2), and no-nonsense super soldier whose hippy uncle came along for the ride (Waterbending Scroll). In all iterations of their dynamic, they give off the impression that they've been together for a long time and know each other well. Which is nice! I feel like Zuko especially could use a friend.

Bending:

Airbending is stupidly deadly. I think, from looking at the whole monks and temples thing, that the airbenders as a whole leaned pretty hard into the pacifist lifestyle, and (if you'll forgive the momentary foray into fanfiction territory) I think that they chose this lifestyle because they realised how crazy deadly their powers could be when misused. Aang can send a whole row of soldiers flying with one swipe of his staff. He flings people into walls without effort, without even looking. He can run faster than any other human we see, he can fly (albeit assisted), he whips up a tornado when fighting Bumi. Presumably (fanfiction territory again) he could control/prevent breathing, therefore control/end life. Gyatso certainly obliterated a bunch of comet-enhanced (I think?) firebenders. Now, some of this might be because Aang is the Avatar, which maybe gives him an airbending power-up? What I really love about airbending (or at least Aang's approach to it, which let's be honest, is the only one we're ever going to see) is how integrated it is into his daily life. Why stand up when you can airbend yourself up? Why twiddle your thumbs when you can twiddle marbles? It's thoughtless in a good way, as in it's effortless. Is Aang even aware of how often he bends? How much of it is unconscious bending? Is this because he's the avatar? Can other bending styles be so central to how a person lives their everyday life?

We haven't seen any master-level waterbending yet, but what we have seen invites speculation. Unlike airbending, where air is air is air, water is kind of defined by its variety. Solid? Liquid? Gas? We've already seen Katara bend water to ice, bend snow, bend salt and fresh water. Is waterbending the most limitless of the bending styles?

Unless you're Bumi, earthbending seems to promote stupidity. I was blown away by what Bumi could do, but every earthbender since has lost, and lost badly. I don't count the earthbenders in Imprisoned, because they had some hefty psychological factors at play, but the earthbending soldiers in the Winter Solstice part 1 who capture Iroh were literally surrounded by their element, with numbers on their side and their captive in chains, and they lost to a naked guy and a teenager. Does being a non-Bumi earthbender have a negative effect on cognitive abilities? Does the solidity of the element prevent creativity?

Firebending is dangerous, not in the way airbending can be dangerous, but in the way a drunk with a firecracker is dangerous. Probably the element that requires the most responsibility and self-regulation, ironically gifted to the most volatile people. All we've seen so far are fairly large plumes of fire - is precision firebending possible or is it more of a 'point it in the general direction of the enemy' technique? It does feel like an outlier, in that it comes from within, not the surrounding environment. That being said, airbenders can also be said to carry their element wherever they go, because everywhere humans can go (at least for more than a few minutes) has air, so fire isn't actually that much of an outlier. Also, either Zuko is suffering from a serious case of cartoon physics, or firebending causes some sort of muscle intensification and bone hardening, because last time I checked you can't kick a flying rock the size of a small child out of mid air or shatter handcuffs with an axe kick.

Final thoughts:

I think I'm preferring the monster of the week episodes to the season-long plot episodes. I think I want lower stakes while I'm still getting to know the characters. I want - no I NEED - more Appa. Give me an Appa episode. Give me a Sokka episode too. I also want more Gyasto - he seemed like a stand up guy, and I feel like he is what an older Aang will become, if all goes well. Obviously he's dead, so if there is more it will be flashback only, but I'll take what I can get.

I think the best point of the show, and what's really drawn and kept my attention, is the finality of things, even in these early, fairly plot-light episodes. Whatever blew away half of Zuko's face hasn't been undone. Sokka & Katara's mom is dead, and looks to stay that way. Aang really is the last of his people (and so, I suspect, is Appa). Aang disappearing for a century has left a duty in some way unfulfilled, and the world has suffered for it. Legitimate consequences, which means legitimate stakes, which means I feel like getting invested in the show is not a waste of my time. No Marvel fake-out deaths here! This world is one in which actions, and inaction, have weight. No bait and switch, no last-minute saves, no "it was _____ all along!" I don't think this would have mattered to me at all if I had seen this show as a child, but as an adult who is sick of how much of modern media shies away from sincerity, this show is refreshing.

Rankings so far:

Best episode (as in most competently executed) and favourite episode are getting different categories, because in a show that deals with some heavy themes, sometimes the most expertly done episode isn't all that pleasant to watch. I think the best episode so far, by far, is Jet. It feels head and shoulders above everything that came before it. It was at times uncomfortable to watch for how accurately it portrays both what war does to children, and what war-torn children will do to/with powerful children they happen to ensnare. Like I said in my post about it, I'll probably never watch it again because it's a little too real, but it is an episode that hums along like a well-tuned engine. A close second on the best/most competent list has to be The Southern Air Temple. The way the two stories weave together, and the way they mirror each other despite depicting characters destined to be enemies, AND the way all that gets represented in contrasting colour palettes is all so clever. It also gave me my first taste of the kind of long-term thought and planning that I'm already detecting hints of. Could you really write an episode like The Southern Air Temple without knowing how your season, even your series, would ultimately end? It's the episode where I first got a taste of the wider world, the scale of the stakes, the eventual endgame.

The worst executed episode so far is probably Imprisoned. I found the tonal switch in the middle completely jarring. I know what it was trying to say about Katara (compassionate and impassioned and will act on both to protect the innocent), but honestly the message I got was that Katara is closed-minded, naive, without any sense of proportion or any ability to pick and choose battles, with no long-term planning skill, and who is far too used to having Sokka around to clean up her messes and do her thinking for her. That being said, the worldbuilding was well done: this episode told us earthbenders' weakness (take away their element by sticking them in the middle of the ocean on a metal-only rig) and what life is like under fire nation rule (pretty hairy).

My favourite episode so far is The Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World. I have literally no idea why, but it made me happy. Things I liked about it include: -It's so PRETTY -Sokka being ride or die for Aang to the extent of being subjected to spirit kidnapping -Zuko pulling the Exhausted Parent (TM) move of 'five more minutes on the playground then I'm leaving with or without you,' followed by not following through -Katara being stirred to action by Appa's worry -Zuko and Iroh absolutely flattening those earthbenders -Zuko and Iroh's odd couple dynamic throughout the episode -Zuko being competent at something! -How genuinely alien that spirit thing was, especially its movement. -Aang's "I have to try, don't I?" If I could have reached through the screen and given him a hug, I would have.

My second favourite is The King of Omashu. Maximum goofiness at all times is just delightful. Bumi has an enlightened way of looking at the world that gets all the more poignant when you realise how old he is and what he's lived through. There is serious angst potential there. But the episode is so light-hearted that you don't realise that while you're watching it. Also the absolute pinnacle of earthbending so far, and some pretty peak airbending too.

My least favourite is The Warriors of Kyoshi. They gave me a badass troupe of warrior ladies and then nerfed them so that Sokka could learn feminism. Sokka (as he was characterised in that episode at least) did need to learn it, but the trope of the male student effortlessly surpassing the female master is just so tired. At least the b-plot of the avatar title going to Aang's head was both fun and necessary story ground to cover.

An excellent run of episodes so far, despite my many and varied gripes with mostly minor things. Bring on episode 11.

[nerves-nebula]

I think if I meet abe when I was younger I think I would have let him SA me

Like let me explain myself like when I was younger I always was painfully aware of my body and how it made grown men feel. I've had multiple men try to SA and groom me but due to the fact that 1. I hate being touched by ppl I don't like 2. I didn't like adults because my mom used to tell me all adults do is lie everytime she or an adult broke a promise they made to me

So because of these quirks about me as a kid, I managed to stop multiple men from grooming irl. For example A lesson teacher I had used to compliment me a lot and I liked him until he started being weird and touching and robbing my thighs and my 8yr old self who was a snitch at heart and knew from the multiple times my mother watched sex scenes of shows in our presence that after thigh scenes comes no no scenes so I went to my mother immediately after that and that teacher got fired and there was this neighbour who used to give me candy and shit( I knew not to take them but I thought I would be safe because he was an old Man and old ppl are always nice in cartoons so why in the world would they not be nice irl) then the bastard tried to invite me into his house and when I said no my mom won't like that he got mad and really pushy about it and would threaten me with no more candy and i got mad at him because of that and reported him to this weird neighborhood watch thing and the guy got a serious talk and used to angrily stare at me from his window for YEARS

But this things happened when I was in like primary school, if I met this creep in like the early days of my highschool years I would have definitely loved him or more of like him, love is a strong word lol. I would have known he was grooming me and how the power dynamics between me and him was AWFUL. I would have been FULLY aware of how bad the relationship is because I did heavy research on stuff like this because a ton of my friends where in awful relationships like this and I always had to be the one to try and talk some sense into them and warn their groomers that I'll report them to the police sending them screenshots as threats and stuff

But even being aware of all of this, if I had any adults give me validation, tell me they cared for me, held me and tell me my feelings and anger were valid during this very depressing period of my life. I would have gladly followed them but the only down side is that I was pretty classist during this period too so if I asked him to buy me these expensive chocolates I really liked and he said he couldn't afford it I definitely would have been rethinking "staying" with him but I feel like if I ever tried to leave him, he would pull the" everyone always leaves me" "I don't know what to do without you" "if you leave me I'll hurt myself" "I have pictures" acts but doing this would have probably made me want to leave more and report him myself😭

I saw this happen to my friends more times than I can count and I got so mad everytime my friends groomers did so. So him saying this would have given me an ICKKK

Oh you get the vibes perfectly. That’s exactly how I designed him to be. Like, so for me, I was terrified of ending up in an abusive relationship from a pretty young age. so I researched it a lot, and my dad was pretty graphic about sexual abuse stuff with me. but honestly if a cool older teen had taken an interest in me I would have fallen over myself for them. Knowing it was a bad idea, knowing it was gonna probably hurt me, because I needed that. I needed anyone to care about me. A cool older teen would have been the best! (Read: easiest for me to admire and feel comfortable around)

Donnie would probably also go with the logic that Abe is ok to date because they’re both teens which means they’re peers. Stubbornly refusing the fact that 19 year olds are an entire different kind of teen.

Also,

the only down side is that I was pretty classist during this period too so if I asked him to buy me these expensive chocolates I really liked and he said he couldn't afford it I definitely would have been rethinking "staying" with him

this is very funny to me, idk why

[getmemymicroscope]

A touch of Gone Girl, a bit of cheeky self-awareness humor (that 'Les Diaboliques' shout-out), some highbrow characters (you know the type - those who revel in the 'look at us' culture but you just walk around their house thinking "really, that's the painting you went for?"), and a huge helping of some like Lifetime movie-level suburban mother drama - but with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively as our fantastic stars. Blake's character is borderline psychotic, as many folks in the movie point out (or, at least a couple do) and a full-on workaholic, and fully embraces that 'Gone Girl' mentality when push comes to shove; Anna's character, meanwhile, is a way-too-energetic single mom whose life revolves around her kid, her semi-successful vlog, and just always keeping herself busy.

Oh, and both of them have major secrets that have, or are threatening to, unravel their lives (morbid secrets too, at that). The movie starts amidst this unraveling, then flashing back slightly to bring us up to speed with the beginning of this very quickly-formed 'best friendship,' before moving on from there.

Gone Girl is missing, presumed and then found-to-be dead (as we eventually learn); grieving husband finds comfort (and parenting help) in/from missing wife's best friend; and best friend finds herself falling in love but, also, like, living a life she didn't have before. And then, almost overnight, things change - in a way that also very much reminds me of the Bollywood movie Raqeeb (or Karar, or Race; or, yes, the story of Les Diaboliques). It never reaches that full scale of outright horror - outside of maybe that one semi-jump scare scene in the closet (though, really - Anna's the one jumping to the scare, we're just reacting to her loud scream) - instead sticking with this sort of high class, pseudo-"let's all be adults about this" approach. At least, until it doesn't. There's some civilized discussions/plans, all of which essentially just go to hell and create a lot of backstabbing and "who's on what side" questions, but lead to things like her returning from 'dead' to meet him at a restaurant, or her returning from dead to have a semi-civil discussion with her in the graveyard - and, with that, some confusion in the end as you try to grasp what is planted/plotted and what is real.

It's fun, in the "evil suburban moms be evil" kind of way. The backstories are a bit convoluted, and Anna's character goes from vlogger to not-so-amateur detective really quickly, but can't complain too much because it does make for an entertaining movie.

I'm not fully sure if Sean was in on the plan or not - but if he was, it makes no real sense that they would include Anna as well (though, if he didn't know about the twin, I'm assuming he wasn't involved; also, he seemed genuinely surprised when Blake showed up in front of him again). If he in fact wasn't, I'm not sure what Blake's plan was, since the insurance payout would've gone to Sean - unless she was gonna somehow steal it out of a bank account, or blackmail them after the fact, or something like that. Maybe not the tidiest bit of planning, but then, I guess she had to make a decision pretty quickly when she got that picture in the mail (leaving it where it would be so easily found, should something happen, also probably wasn't the best, but again, probably wasn't thinking straight at that point).

[bri-the-nautilus]

yes agreed Kerouac fucking sucks...but I also don't like any beat literature. It's telling that the best author among his contemporaries was an amphetamine-addled trust-fund kid that murdered his wife.

Yeah Burroughs was a fun case lmao. I'm pretty sure he tried to tell the cops that they were pretending to be William Tell when he killed her. Seriously, all those guys were stoned out of their minds. Probably why their books are amazing if you're a 16-22 year old boy but utterly unrelatable if you aren't; there are tons of accounts online of dudes who read the Beats as teens and loved them but revisited them as adults and were like "wow these guys are losers."

Reading that one chapter of Dharma Bums where Kerouac's self-insert and his inserts of Snyder and Ginsberg do three-day-long alcoholic naked ritual fake-Buddhism sex with a shy local teenager was one of the most uncomfortable experiences I've ever had. I was like, wait, this book is based on his life, these characters are based off him and his friends, and he writes THIS??? And PUBLISHES IT???

The only Beat scribbles that I can somewhat tolerate are some of Ginsberg's poetry. "Howl" is pretty damn good, even if Ginsberg was kind of a weirdo. (sidenote: one of Kerouac's worst transgressions in my opinion was the section of Dharma Bums when he has his self-insert go to the San Francisco "Howl" reading and changed the poem's title to "Wail." Fucking Wail??? Really Jack? That word just doesn't have even a sliver of the impact and tone of the word 'howl'. A howl is something raw and primal, a hoarse, furious refrain. A wail is like a fucking baby that needs a nap or something.)

Something that always amused me about the Beats is that many of them are super aware that they're all self-destructive, miserable hedonists, but none of them do anything about it. All of Kerouac's self-inserts go through this weird nature detox where they swear off alcohol and become functioning human beings, but Kerouac died of liver failure in his mom's basement or some shit. The way Ginsberg describes the effects of substance use on his friends in "Howl" is graphic and objectively brutal (if I wasn't already convinced to never do drugs, that poem would've done it), but then he goes and makes street drugs out to be a religious imbibement akin to the blood and body of Christ. Hypocrisy about matters of self-care is everywhere in Beat literature when you start looking for it. Kinda wild.

Honestly, the more I think about it the more I think the best modern-day analogue for Kerouac in particular is fucking Ernest Cline. The Ready Player One guy. They're the same dude. They both have this fixation with the trappings of their youth (drugs for Kerouac, shitty arcade games for Cline), they both write books about self-insert characters obsessed with said trappings, both books portray the said characters as utterly despondent and in a downward spiral that they come out of while the authors are on that same downward spiral but show no signs of recovery. Obviously Cline hasn't died of whatever the '80s-pop-culture equivalent of cirrhosis is, but if you look at the way he completely half-assed RP2, character-assassinating Wade and Halliday in the process, and how he's reacted to criticism of his books, I think it's not an awful stretch to say that Cline is to RP1 Wade as Kerouac is to Ray Smith or whatever that guy's name was just in terms of how their characters can overcome their flaws but the men themselves just can't.

[bonesandthebees]

Anyway, I’ve talked a lot about Tommy without talking about Him, so let’s do that.

I was expecting Tubbo to be part of his group, but having him be there as just Tomys friend is so funny. It’s also adorable. (And it probably says a thing or two about how stubborn Tomys is, since he probably refused to go without him). Their dynamic very much gives “Your majesty, this is my emotional support best friend”.

Having Jack as a guard is giving me Stars flashbacks. Probably as intended. It’s funny that he is now Tomys guard instead of Wilbur’s. I was not expecting Puffy, but I probably should have. She’s there to make sure Tomys behaves, but she still has a lot of work to do about the etiquette. She also gives me the vibes of someone who deserves a raise.

Side note: did Niki or Quackity come with extra entourage? Like Niki was a baby, but Quackity was similar in age. Or is this unusual? (Also, I love the throne and crown, I’m sure that doesn’t have any ominous relation to certain tags on this fic)

Anyway, Tomys first impression reflects very badly on Sam. As we learn in chapter 3, everyone figures out why Tomys is there. And he’s clearly a bad first choice as a heir. (As in, if Sam were to die right now, Tomys would do terribly compared to Niki or Quackity).

He comes off as just a kid, which he is, but that’s not something you can be in this situation. None of the other kids got to have a normal childhood. On top of that Tomys is kinda a little brat, for a noble child at least, and not in the way those kids are normally brats.

But Sam seems rather fond of him. He’s very patient with him and all his blunders. I think he’s a kind king, but *looks at chapter 3* he’s not the brightest. It becomes very clear, very quickly that Sam did not think this true at all.

Like part of his decision process is wanting to decide something for himself because he’s self aware enough to know Phil is pulling the strings, but not smart enough to actually do it himself. So he brings Tomys and is all secretive, but then he didn’t talk it through with anyone and missed so many implications because he’s just living in his own world. But then he doubles down which is incredibly childish, but he wanted to make a desicion for himself and refuses to acknowledge that it’s backfireing (which is a very worrisome quality to have in a King).

Though I think some of it might just also be actually indecisiveness and wanting to buy himself more time to chose because he clearly doesn’t know who to pick based on how he asked Schlatt. He’s just digging himself a bigger hole and I’m scared he’ll double down further and will pick Tomys in the future just because Phil doesn’t want him to (can you tell I do not like Sam? Very good writing job on that, btw).

(2/?)

-🎄

no literally I was trying to figure out a position for tubbo that wasn't 'personal servant' just bc I didn't feel like doing that for this fic, and when I couldn't come up with anything I was like "...it's clingyduo tubbo would come just as his emotional support bestie" and then I thought back to how in historical movies you always hear about nobles having their ladies in waiting/companions/friends showing up with them everywhere like an entourage and I was like huh that would work

lol yeah after stars I'm a bit of a sucker for writing jack manifold as a guard again. he's just so good in that type of role, although I'd say he's going to have a smaller role here than he had in stars (though who knows I also didn't think stars!jack would play a very big role and look how that turned out). and of course tommy needed an adult chaperone so I thought of puffy. she's so tired of this shit.

yes, niki and quackity both came with entourages of their own although I'm not going to mention them bc I can't think of characters they'd be and I don't like throwing ocs into my fics for more than just a few lines here and there. except since niki was brought to the palace so young she essentially came just with her nanny and some guards, and when she was eventually given ladies in waiting they were provided by the palace not by summerdam. quackity was a little older so he showed up with a tutor, guards, and probably a private servant. still working out details on backstory stuff you know how it goes

yeahhh the thing is tommy's immaturity is pretty prevalent right off the bat, and while he's not overly bratty by noble kid standards, by potential future heir to the kingdom standards he's terrible. and it says something about sam's ideas towards leadership that he only just met the kid and has a bit of a soft spot towards him, because he doesn't know tommy. not at all. but he thinks he does.

i'm glad you don't like sam. he's meant to be a very messy character in rose. someone who so clearly wants to be good at this game he's playing but is just so blatantly not which causes problems for everyone else around him

[starsarefire824]

rewatching season 1 and its confirming my bi mike truth. for real.

• he goes out of his way for her

•he speaks to her with the same Will Voice™️ in a lot of the scenes.

• he tried to kiss her unprompted in the bathroom. (she has literally no idea what he’s doing)

• when he says she’s pretty especially the second time, he really means it. I read his confused face more as I can’t believe I said that kind of thing and not a ew gross kind of thing

•his speech at the end is definitely him trying and failing to say that he likes her romantically (as romantic as a 12 year old romance can be anyway)

Now, she’s very androgynous and sure that can he explained as he prefers her when she looks like a boy (like Will), but that’s a moot point in my opinion cause bi people have very differing tastes usually when it comes to different genders. (Something he would be totally unaware of at that age and also is something that evolves/changes)

I think watching season one and two combined has really confirmed this for me. Season 1 is El and his feelings for her. Season 2 switches to Will and his feelings for him. Season 3 is when they are all finally thrown together and how he can’t balance them in his life because the feelings for both are romantic. (I don’t think he’s self-aware enough there to realize that though in regards to Will). I think that there is a lot of what actors’ and creators’ have said going on there. Mike is trying to be this picture in his head of what “normal” looks like.

Then season 4 imo is the fallout of that struggle (which i also think continues in a more adult/direct way but it sort of is really putting even more pressure on both of his relationships). He’s a bit older and the two most important people in his life are thousands of miles away. Like he said himself, “his other friends are great, but they aren’t Will). I think that hug scene was the culmination of him realizing how much he’s missed Will isn’t “normal”. I think he’s realizing that those feelings are equal (or imo overpower) what he feels for El. I think maybe, painfully slowly, he’s realizing that he’s attracted/wants to be with Will in a way that isn’t “normal”. I don’t think he’s thinking romance per se (yet), but I think he’s thinking “why the hell am i jealous?” “why is it weird to touch him?” “why am i so upset he never called me?” why do i want that painting so badly?” “why can’t i tell my girlfriend i thought i loved the three words she begged me to say?” To me, that is a very queer experience, but specifically a bi person who hasn’t quite realized that they’re bi yet. The confusion can be astounding at times, and emotions and reactions to things tend to be intense in a way that leaves you reeling. Or floundering in Mike’s case.

Idk these are just a lot of random thoughts, but I firmly believe that season 5 will address whatever is happening in Mike Wheeler’s brain regarding his true feelings for Will and El.

I also think that El already had an inkling of “why” Mike couldn’t say I love you. (And no it’s not because his parents didn’t show him how 🙄) And she’s slowly realizing in season 4 that “why” is her step-brother. I think that was made very obvious with the thought bubble imagery and how she was responding, or lack thereof to Mike in the monologue and back in Hawkins.

Miscellaneous thoughts about season 1: people must be thick in the head about Will if they think him being gay came out of nowhere. There are at least 10 instances of characters referencing that in conversations. And damn, if that Ted Wheeler comment, “you see Michael, you see what happens” wasn’t insinuating something. Mike misses it cause he’s too little, but any adult can see he’s saying, “you see what happens to queer kids?”

Then season 2 they spent the whole season building up how different and strong Mike and Will’s relationship was, and how Mike was there for Will no matter what. He was so unwavering in his love and support for Will. And in season 3, I think is when Will actively realized just how different he was and what his love for Mike actually meant, like he was looking it dead in the face in that season in a real, grown up way. And the person he realizes he loves is pushing him away and just not understanding him and what do you do when the person, that you’ve been told your whole life is unnatural, not “normal” to love, is constantly choosing another person over you. That they aren’t even able to make a friendship work let alone something you might daydream about. I’m probably repeating myself but the writers have made it very plain that Mike cannot for the life of him balance his time, attention or emotional availability between Will and El. And if season 3 didn’t make it painfully obvious that Will was having complicated feelings about Mike. Like yeah, they didn’t spell it out directly, but the fact that some people were like wow this whole Mike love thing for Will came out of nowhere??? Like are we watching the same show? I could see that on a first watch years ago.

[jellyfitzjelly]

directory's commentary on the sladick series? ('Tis but thy name that is my enemy)

HOHOHOHOHO okay so! I don't know where to start....

Originally this was supposed to be a one-shot to relieve the pressure of my oncoming finals, and then stress made me write a sequel, and things just got out of hand.

I think if you follow me you've seen me reblog posts critical of the B*tfam (doing this to avoid my post showing up in searches) becoming a nuclear family, so I am aware I do look hypocritical making Sladick a nuclear family. The truth is that the trope has always appealed to me as equally if not more than the found family trope. I have been brought up in a deeply hetero-normative environment where starting a family was kind of the ultimate goal even if members of my immediate family never did so. It took a lot of time in that situation to even figure out I was queer. So I think it has conditioned me a lot on the subject!

Nonetheless, I still rationalized my choice to make Dick and Slade form a "traditional" family though I never explicitely explored that in my series. Since I've been heavily influenced by my pre-Flashpoint reads, I wanted to portray the B*tfam as anything but a family. Bruce never fostered that kind of environment with any of the kids, with Jason being the relative exception to the rule. Bruce has always seen Dick as his equal, though he is not entirely conscious of that. They shared a deeply traumatizing event of their life and that made Bruce relate to Dick intensely. Dick got parentified at a young age and held to the same unrealistic standards Bruce holds himself to. Bruce grew up without a traditional family structure. Dick, on the other hand, had a deep need to find in his new environment the dynamics he had with his parents before their death. While Dick never consciously considered Bruce as his father, this man was the father figure of his childhood. The thing is that Bruce never behaved as a father or as a caretaker, instead pushing Dick in that role. It left a deep wound on Dick, who found himself without the parental structure he so desperately needed. It deeply impacted his adult and love lives. Dick subconciously sought to recreate that familial environment he so desperately lacked, be it with the Titans or his romantic partners. His romantic failures and the disband of the Titans dealt a huge blow to him and his stability, and after that it was a slippery slope to depression. Slade, on the other hand, had grown up in a traditional familial environment, but one that was violent and abusive. Like many, Slade took the first opportunity to escape his situation. The military offered him a stability he had never known with the familiarity of violence. And again like many, Slade vowed he wouldn't be the father his own was, though he did end up like him in many ways. Slade is a family man. His family is deeply important to him, and losing it was a huge traumatizing event in his life and something he never got over. Grant's death only drove the knife further in the wound. While Addie and him have a truce, he is not on speaking terms with either Joey and Rose because he has come to see himself as a threat to them and, deep down, as worse than his own father which brings a lot of self-loathing. But Slade still subconsciously yearns for that stability that a traditional nuclear family represents. I also think Slade has weathered enough shit in his mercenary career to be able to actually settle down for good. So it's only logical that both Slade and Dick would eventually start a family of their own, even if they have to navigate this blind and do things in their own way.

Jason was the "relative" exception in that Bruce did treat him more like the son he never had before his death. Jason idolized Bruce. After his return, there was a definite rift between them. Jason never forgave Bruce for not avenging him. His relationship with Dick was more "in absentia" before his death, an impossible standard Bruce held Jason to. Concerning Alberto, I have a lot more to say, but I don't know if I will ever write a spin-off centered around him and Jason.

Tim had parents and so never considered Bruce more than a mentor. In fact, the one he idolized was Dick. They really bonded together, in part because Tim already adored him but also because Dick felt guilty about Jason's death and had many regrets, and felt like he had a chance to "make up" by becoming Tim's older brother of sorts. Their relationship was very affectionate, and they had a solid friendship. Bruce got jealous, and felt Dick was trying to take his place. Eventually, Dick and Bruce had a huge fallout that ended up permanently damaging their relationship, and Tim had to pick a side. Dick felt betrayed and deeply hurt to see Tim chose Bruce over him, and their relationship never recovered from that. While they did stay in contact, and Dick eventually forgave Tim, things never went back to how they were. This is one of Tim's biggest regrets, and he holds himself responsible for Dick's depression. Dick actually made a suicide attempt at some point, but Tim rescued him in time. It traumatized Tim, and scared him quite a lot, especially since Kon had just recently died. Eventually, Tim distanced himself from Bruce and became Red Robin to pursue his vigilante career in another city, leaving the mantle to Damian.

I don't know enough about either Cass or Stephanie to write about them, so I've left them out of the story so far. It can def change in the future!

Joey might make an appearance too, mainly because I want to explore Slade's past.

Uuuh hope this long ass infodumping pleased you anon!!!

[robcognitivepersonality]

The Mastermind & the Field Marshall

How I get along with ENTJs as an INTJ

As I met with Bobby for the first time in many years, “Hey how ya been?” I cautiously started. “Hi!! I’m good!” Bobby glowed out. “Awesome!” I matched. Driven for a more serious conversation, I added, “But listen. I wanna say I’m really sorry. I’ve been super busy.” “OK! Let’s go out and play!” Again I matched, “Great! Let’s do it then.” Still unsatisfied with our conversation, I furrowed my brows, “So how about playing for many days? It’s been a long time I haven’t seen you. I kinda know my way around outside. You’ll lead and I’ll guide yeah?” “YEAHH!!” It was no surprise for Bobby to be so readily receptive. While this would be the start of rekindling our relationship, I still felt guilty. I lowered my gaze and mustered, “I’m sorry.” “Huh?” “It’s complicated.” Scrounging for words for Bobby to understand, “Well I was afraid you’d get hurt. I thought it was best to keep you safe here. It’s just not a place for kids, ya know.” Detailing the complexities of reality was futile. Yet Bobby started to grasp what I was trying to say. “Was I bad?” He hesitated, “Does outside think I’m bad?” Bobby’s fainting glow was blanketed by a feeling I knew all too well. It’s the same feeling that used to rot my insides and scramble my thoughts. I thought I got rid of it until I realized I left it with Bobby. At that moment, we shared it.

Cornered with nowhere to hide, I shriveled, “No… No, of course not. It-it’s my fault. I was trying to build a future for you. But I only built it for myself. They said we don’t get to be kids anymore. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong to — ” “ — Leave me here.” “Yeah. I thought I was protecting you but I left you,” I surrendered. “Growing up I couldn’t wait to be an adult. I never hated you. I was never ashamed of you. I was too scared.” Saying ‘scared’ out loud rendered me defenseless. I braced for any reaction Bobby would lash out. I couldn’t sink myself in anymore. Suddenly the guilt started to fade off. I started to feel… clear. And clearly, I had more to say. “Look, it’s different now. I don’t want to stay scared anymore. There’s some bad people, the world can be scary, and that’s OK. I love you and that’s all that matters. I know that now.” “Will they like me?” “Yes!” I reassured. “You’re my joy and I want to show the world why. I want them to know who you are.” Reaching the end of my spiel, I reiterated, “Who we are… Who we really are.” Wrapping my arms around him, I stared off into the distance at a future I’d never seen. A future for both me and myself. I was still scared. I worried about how I would be received. Savoring my warmth, Bobby looked up. “Hey.” “Yeah?” “I’m glad you’re here.” “Me too. I’m glad I’m here.”

If you’re as old as I am at the ripe age of 37, you had this kind of conversation with yourself before. I’d even say you’ve visited your inner self more frequently and seriously than I have. Facts don’t care about my feelings. I find my place and be reasoned. It works the other way around for you, you have reasons. It’s your feelings that don’t care about facts.

If you don’t like how things are done, you as an Extraverted Thinking dominant will change them. Hence why you out of all the types are most sensitively aware how your actions reflect who you are as a person. So no, you’re not a sociopath. ENTJs thoroughly evaluate if their goals would truly make them happy before they set out to achieve them. You’re the living embodiment of “Be careful what you wish for.” You think through — not only logically but also — to ensure your heart is in the right place.

“In 1998, I lost my reputation and my dignity. I lost my sense of self. A marketplace has emerged where public humiliation is a commodity and shame is an industry. Anyone who is suffering from shame and public humiliation needs to know one thing: you can survive it. I know it’s hard. It may not be painless, quick or easy, but you can insist on a different ending to your story.” — Monica Lewinsky

There’s no doubt from you and anyone else when it is in that right place. Your emotions don’t need to be spoken, they’re felt by whoever pays attention. The ENTJs I know set their lives caring for their loved ones and do right by them. The best of you account for yourself and everybody else as a whole. Having “inferior” Introverted Feeling, you could overextend yourself for others to the point it’s self-sabotaging. Type descriptions fail to mention how you can genuinely be too unselfish. And that’s highly unfair.

While we’re at it, you’re not a commanding CEO of some mega-corporation. You take too much ownership of your life to depend on others. You’d rather work independently or lead a small posse, rolling up your sleeves getting shit done rather than preaching about synergy and company values. You don’t present detailed road maps nor devise contingency plans either. Introverted Intuition is a personal vision. It’s Plan A, the one and only plan. Company strategy around industry paradigm shifts is not part of Plan A. If anything, it’s in the way.

That’s all Ni is, a goal. It’s not some master plan where you know every step of the way for the next 20 years, for sure it’s not some crystal ball either. It feels more like a mortgage that you need to pay off in whatever way possible. It’s a chosen commitment of spending your days willing yourself to materialize your dreams. That journey of making periodic progress is what’s most fulfilling for ENTJs. It’s a pursuit of happiness.

It’s a little different for me, Ni isn’t a vision that propels me to pursue whatever my heart desires. Introverted Intuition to me is an ocean. I’m floating on a watercraft that can shape shift into a cargo ship, a sailboat, or a surfboard. I forecast the weather to figure the best option to shape shift in order to better brace myself for the incoming storms. I like to stay afloat withstanding the changes in economic, social, and political climates.

Personally I’m a bit of a storm chaser sensing the winds, the clouds, the humidity, and all that sum up to form the storms. And what I’m looking for, more specifically, are the ones that make the best waves to surf. To be the best surfer I can be, I keep an eye on what the weather is doing and find those waves. The MBTI community thinks I have this mystical power to predict the future, I just understand enough about ocean storms and listen to what the weather indicators tell me. But you know who I think has superpowers? You.

“I think there’s something inside of you — and inside of all of us — when we see something and we think, ‘I think I can do it, I think I can do it. But I’m afraid to.’ Bridging that gap, doing what you’re afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that — THAT is what life is. You might find out something about yourself that’s special. And if you’re not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself.” — Amy Poehler

You change the weather, split tectonic plates, and move mountains; doing whatever to create the waves you want. While I analyze forecasting outcomes, you bulldoze through making the outcomes happen. It’s fucking amazing. Who the hell decides they’re gonna control the weather?? When you want something bad enough, when you love something hard enough, you’ll go get it. Perhaps you feel your life could be better, perhaps the world could be better. Perhaps you feel other people deserve to enjoy surfing the waves too.

When I think about being industrious, I think about my parents who have tirelessly worked to give my brother and me a better future. Every morning, they prepared food and set tables for our restaurant. During off-business hours, they mopped the floors and restocked on groceries. They named me Robert because it works both in French, my native language, and English, for when we would set out for America. And we eventually did, as envisioned.

Mom showed me articles about high achieving kids going to prestigious schools. She tried to inspire me by pointing out how aimless my eyes looked compared to theirs; that I should look more urgent. To be more like a boss, she used to say. She added if I wanted to be more like those kids, as well like Dad and herself, then I needed courage. I didn’t fully understand that until recently when I got to know some of you.

My life is a decision-making game of analyzing facts and managing risks. I’m pretty good at this game, but I don’t make the rules nor control the facts. What I can control are my emotions as I weigh my options based on their rewards and my confidence in them. Funny how that’s called making logical decisions when, really, I choose whichever I feel best about. That’s how I realized I trusted the facts more than I trusted myself. Not my brain, myself. Bobby hid behind the wall of logic.

“Chess isn’t always competitive. Chess can also be beautiful. It was the board I noticed first. It’s an entire world of just 64 squares. I feel safe in it. I can control it. I can dominate it. And it’s predictable, so if I get hurt, I only have myself to blame.” — Beth Harmon, from Queen’s Gambit

The world you build is an extension of who you are. People and things get affected, so what if it doesn’t turn out better? I was too perfectionist about what my world would be and shied away about what it is. I was afraid I wouldn’t like how it would turn out and how that would reflect back on who I am. Yet I hear you admitting how scared and afraid you are more times than I have. Maybe that’s part of the challenge for you. Whatever it is, watching you made me believe that I can do it too.

You showed me how to seize the day, round people up, and get shit done. I’ve watched you get better grades, earn more promotions, gain more respect, thrive in harsher conditions. All while also inspire others, party harder, have more fun, and even show more care for people. Why wait? Have courage and make it happen. Skills and talent not required.

We all have limited time here. We’re just trying to live an honest life being as good-hearted as we can. Live doing what you love and for who you love. I’ll build a whole island where the waves are better than I could’ve ever imagined. My future is to set Mom and Dad to enjoy their retirement years. I will take care of my family no matter what’s going on around the world. And for sure I will not let lack of courage be an excuse for my shortcomings.

[rndyounghowze]

NJ RenFaire 2024

NJ-8

Double Edged Daredevils

Ses Carny and Crimson Locksley

We’ve seen Ses Carny eat and breathe fire. We’ve seen him hammer a nail into his head. We’ve heard the story of him putting fishhooks in his eyes. (Both those acts have been retired) What more can you say about a guy who can do all of that over and over and keep us coming back for more? The one person we forget to talk about is the person who has the power to change the fundamental DNA of his act. If there is one thing that’s painfully normal about Ses it’s how passionately and unashamedly in love he is with his wife Crimson Locksley. The Daredevils would not be the same without her. So we want to tell you about the artistry it takes to be the human down range of the knives.

A Confidence And Poise We Do Not Possess

Crimson owns the space like she was born there. It’s almost like those are her knives and she allows Ses to use them. She makes the Magic happen with her consent. If she didn’t consent to all this the act would go from side show to jail cell in a heartbeat. She exudes a confidence and poise that we do not possess. And she steps out and bows at the end of each trick like she’s Van Halen after a killer solo. As Ses himself will say he is not a role model. Crimson is the ultimate example of female empowerment and body autonomy. It takes both of them to make this trick work.

NJ-9

Lords Of Adventure

When you first look at these two self-identified identical sword-fighting twins you think “Their mama’s got some explaining to do”. The second thing you notice is that they are wicked funny. They have this manic energy of ten-year-olds that ate all of the sweets at the Faire and chased them down with a gallon of cream soda. Yet they have this wonderful way of converting the “token” stage combat show at the Ren Faire into something that’s laughingly disarming.

A Rollicking Good Time

Framing this show as a friendly duel between two brothers takes away the “hokiness” of stage combat” and turns it into a rollicking good time. Anyone who’s had an Xmas Day sword fight with wrapping paper tubes knows the kind of energy I mean. We all know brothers exactly like this, we all have cousins like this in our family. We all know someone who would get a bit too excited if you handed them a long sword.

Chaotic Doesn’t Translate Into Recklessness

Yet that energy doesn’t translate into recklessness. In fact the whole act felt very safe. You didn’t feel like a sword would come sailing at your head at any moment. Nice and Smooth might have an energy like kids but they have an adult’s awareness of their surroundings and the training to know what’s safe and what’s not. We walked by their stage during the afternoon when it was raining and they were doing a completely different act without swords. They know when to play and know when to put the swords away.

Nick Nice and Randy Smooth

NJ-10

Jacques Ze Whipper

Jack Lepiarz

One of the biggest things we’ve noticed about Jacques is that he is a stand-up comedian holding a whip. Yes, he’s trained and highly skilled but his humor is almost as fast as his whip. The other thing he does is he make himself the straight man in this comic duo of him and the audience. Half the fun is watching the audience catcall and shout from the stands and seeing Jack blush or zing them with a huge comeback. We also noticed that the acts became more Jack-centric and less “Jacques”.

Less Jacques More Jack

Less of the act explains who Jacques is and what whips are. He doesn’t have to introduce people into his little world. TikTok has already done that. So now it’s more showing the audience tricks that exhibit more skill (we think) and less gimmick. Also, there is less French accent. We feel like what we’re seeing now is more well-rounded. It’s more focused and grounded on a personal level. That grounded feeling is not what we’re used to seeing in a circus arts act. Jack’s act has something most solo artists can learn in building a grounded authentic performance.

NJ-11

Connor O’ Carraig

A Leprechaun that does magic tricks. That’s really what Connor O’Carraig is. He walks onstage and starts cracking jokes. He tells the audience he’s going to do three tricks and that will be it. If you’ve seen only five sleight of hand magicians in your life you’ve seen each of these tricks at least twice. Yet Connor goes on to demonstrate the magician’s true artistry, patter, and makes the tricks look brand new again.

Distinct Entrancing Style

You can Google linking rings, coin magic, and rope tricks and find out how these tricks are done. You know that and Connor knows that. The artistry is not in doing the magic moves but in using “patter” (jokes and words) to give us a plot that wraps around the trick. The plot hooks the audience in and brings us over to the magician’s side. We’re not just staring at a coin trick we’re listening to a story or laughing at some really good jokes. Now we don’t even care that we’re watching magic tricks. We’ve actually forgotten that we’re watching tricks. We’re watching a performance, we’re buying into Connor’s character, we’re enjoying ourselves. It’s proof that it’s not the magic trick or the secret moves. It’s the distinct entrancing style of the performer.

NJ-12

Shelli Buttons

When we first met Shelli Buttons it was pouring rain in 2023 and she had to cancel her show. But there she was in a mermaid tail and sliding around in the mud with her duck Winston following her everywhere she went. We knew we had to catch her act this year to see what the heck she was about. This year it was still raining but Shelli was ready to go with two students Jules and Gwen. Winston was there too having a love affair with Gwen’s boot. It was here that we were truly initiated into the chaotic mashup of fire, flair and feathers that is Shelli Buttons.

A Serious Chaotic Energy

You watch Shelli for five seconds and you will get a serious chaotic energy. She asks the audience what tricks they’d like to see, she has to scold the duck for attacking Gwen’s shoes, and even has to borrow a lighter from the audience to light her torches. Yet then she starts juggling torches and knives and walking on wine bottles and you’re like “oh now I get it”. If you’re this heckin talented you get to be a chaos demon. If you juggle three swords while standing on wine bottles in the rain you get to dance like an idiot at the end. What else would you do?

Where Shelli doesn’t mess around is with her students. Jules and Gwen are both young aerialists so you expect some awkwardness in transitions and some lack of grace in spins. But both of these artists were solid and steady in the routines and held their poses with confidence. Shelli’s chaotic energy vanished when she was spotting both of them and making sure they landed safely. When her students were on the Lyra she was all business. That’s what you want to see in an aerial instructor.

NJ-13

Bardy Pardy

Hannah Ward, Stephanie Krause, Chelsea Carlson

When you walk into a Ren Faire there are a handful of songs you just have to hear or it didn’t happen (Rosemary and Thyme is the Faire Free Bird). You have to see something played on a traditional instrument. You expect these things. Yet what you don’t expect is to hear a trio of femme voices singing right harmonies and beautiful songs. You also don’t expect to hear all this while shoving pizza into your face. This is how we met Bardy Pardy.

Not Your Normal Ren Faire Trio

Bardy Pardy just isn’t your normal Ren Faire Trio. From creating funny and engaging characters to singing lilting melodies they were a wonderful and entertaining act. It’s hard to make people care about your art while they are slamming food down. Most of the time as a musician you are just there to create the “ambiance” of the Great Hall. Yet Bardy Pardy had folx singing along and clapping the beat with them. They were also supported by a nice corps of fans. It was nice to see a group that built a community at the Repaste stage.