#i personally think he lacks accountability

[hasufin]

For a long time, they didn't believe the Titanic split while she was sinking. It was dark, of course - actually the lights stayed on much longer than you'd expect, but at the end the steam engines lost pressure; I think at least one of the engines came free from the ship itself and was separate from the rest of the wreck, but I could be confusing that with another disaster.

But anyway, it was dark. Eyewitness accounts varied: some said they saw her split, others said they saw her aft section aloft as the bow sank. This came to be a point of contention. First, because this was a matter of pride about how the ship was constructed, that even in sinking it should have stayed together - and bear in mind the shipbuilders were quite desperate to claim their construction was good [they never claimed it was unsinkable, that was a media invention, but having a ship sink over a mere few hours on her maiden voyage was a bad look]. Second because the people who said she split were of lower class, and upper class passengers and officers said she did not split. So of course for a long time the official account said she did not split, and it was only in finding the wreck that they put that point of contention to rest.

It's also worth understanding that the famed lack of lifeboats was not wholly hubris. Or, it was, but hubris borne of the thinking of the era. That Titanic sank was not the whole of the ignominy. Although the builders did not claim her to be unsinkable, they did design her to be resistant to sinking, and to take quite a long time to sink. The intent of the era was that even if she were to take unrecoverable damage, she would take many hours, even days, to finally succumb. With the presence of the Marconi wireless telegraph, rockets (for which there was no standardized signalling), and being run in what was at the time a very busy corridor, they reasonably expected rescue would arrive in more than sufficient time to evacuate the ship calmly, and the survivors could - with their bags or at least their valuables - watch the ship sink from the deck of some other vessel.

This also reasonably informed the decision to not immediately launch the lifeboats, and of some passengers to not immediately board them: what sensible person would risk hypothermia in the icy Atlantic on an open boat for hours on end, when one could calmly await rescue in safety on an ocean liner, and evacuate in a reasonable, safe fashion upon the arrival of rescue - which would go faster besides, as the other ship too would have lifeboats.

Much is made of how the ship sank. And indeed, it was possibly a worst-case scenario: they left behind the key to the safe which held the binoculars for the lookout; they grazed the iceberg in a way such that it caused maximum damage. They did so at the worst possible time, when help was far away and might not receive distress signals.

Recall too how I mentioned the rockets? Californian saw rockets fired, but as there was no standardized protocol for their use, did not realize they were a distress signal. The Californian's wireless operator had also shut off his equipment, so he did not receive the distress signal.

White Star Lines tried - in vain - to make their ships truly unsinkable. but more importantly international standards were created to communicate disaster, such as standardizing distress signals and having wireless operators on duty at all times; and the evacuation protocols no longer blithely assumed rescue would always be close at hand.

Thank you for that fine forensic analysis, Mr. Bodine. Of course the experience of it was... Somewhat different.

TITANIC (1997) dir. James Cameron

[tacitusk1llwhore]

What's up, y'all? This post has been wildly anticipated, and I have literally spent days on it. So let's get right into it, yeah? The Van Der Linde Gang is not a family; it is not a group of down-and-outs living outside the law for freedom (not entirely). It is, in fact, a cult, or, at the very least, most of the time operates like a cult would. To understand this we have to know exactly what a cult is, so what is the definition of a cult? A cult (as according to Google) is a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing. This is one of the many definitions. So there you are; it's a cult, case closed! Just kidding, I wouldn't make it that easy, so let's look deeper into cult mentality and how it relates to the VDL gang.

Let's look first at what some characteristics of a cult leader are, and then let's match them to Dutch as a person. Cult leaders are incredibly charismatic; they come off as personable, as these wonderful, easygoing people who accept those as they are and bring in those who have been deemed by society as undesirable. But what makes them so very charismatic? How is it so easy for them to fall into this role? Having an image of yourself rooted in grandiosity, not reality. But Dutch isn't like that! You cry, to which I say—hold on, I'm getting there. Dutch is like that; Dutch has always been like that. In the traditional cult sense, he doesn't believe himself to be god, nor does he proclaim himself supreme or anything that we typically associate with cults. What does he do then? He corrects himself; he blame-shifts, and often. One of the first hints that I got that maybe this guy isn't as cool as I thought he was was all the way in Colter. When speaking to Charles, Dutch tells him to get indoors, on account of the cold and his injured hand. This seems so sweet, something from genuine concern and care for someone under his leadership. Until he slips up in his language and says, "I—We need you strong." He starts off simply stating that he himself needs Charles strong, greatly overestimating the true need for Charles amongst the other gang members. Charles provides for the gang in the form of food, money, and little repairs. If something were to happen to Charles day-to-day, it wouldn't affect Dutch all that much. Who would it affect? Those that cannot hunt for themselves, Abigail, who can't leave camp on account of her son, those that rely on the men of the gang to provide for them. If there was a food shortage in the gang, Dutch would be just fine; he can hunt for himself. You know who probably can't? Tilly or Mary-Beth. By first and foremost stating that Dutch himself needs Charles strong before he switches to include everyone, we see the first sign of his exaggerated sense of self-importance. His use for Charles is exploitation; he can exploit his position, his lack of connection outside of the gang, to make him money. Others use it for Charles's basic necessities. It is also well known that Dutch is allergic to accountability, as we see in the phrase "You'll keep doubting me and we'll keep failing." This is said to Arthur after yet another one of Dutch's poorly executed and subsequently failed plans, through no fault of Arthur. Dutch needs a scapegoat; he cannot fathom that he himself makes poor choices, and so he narrows his perception, forcing a round peg through a square hole to frame himself as perfect. It was Abigail's fault that Hosea died; it's Arthur's doubt that makes their jobs not run smoothly; John isn't loyal anymore because of Abigail. Never once do we see Dutch take accountability, and we shouldn't expect him to, not when his sense of self is so insanely inflated.

Behaviors and body language also play into this; Dutch is very often seen standing, chest puffed, shoulders back, with a cigar in hand. He will stare off in silence, giving us this illusion that he's thinking, that he has all of these wonderful ideas running through his head so fast he simply has to take a pause to go through them all, to contemplate. Did you know that body language amongst cult leaders is typically comparable? This powerful, almost Superman-like pose is a common one amongst them; it exhibits power and confidence, combined with subtle, casual movements or actions, like smoking a cigar or rubbing the temples. This can and does give the illusion of not only intelligence but also power and empathy or deep contemplation. Dutch also dresses luxuriously; he wants to stand out against the gang as this intellectual genius. He wants to seem so much more well educated, with so much more money, so these people who are more intelligent than him but less confident or well off look at him and say, "Wow, I should follow him; he's doing well for himself; he's confident; he knows best." When in reality it's all a ruse, and body language, the set apart from the others, is another way he does this.

Now let's look at what I think is one of the most cult-like aspects of the VDL gang, and that is how they got their members. So many people say, "Oh well, how could anyone ever join a cult?" "Why not just leave?" "You'd have to be stupid to join a cult!" But the thing is, people do not purposely join cults. People are lured into cults in multiple ways: the promise of money, freedom, love, luxury, but most of all, family. You know who the prime targets for cults are? The marginalized, the poor, as well as the young, the naive, and the downtrodden. Take the analogy of the frog in water: if you slowly turn up the heat, the frog will boil alive—such can be applied to cults; no cult starts with these crazy behaviors, rules, or rituals; they condition you slowly, they put you into a position in which it is impossible to leave, and when you realize the truth, it's too late. Let's look at the stories of some of the members of the VDL gang, how they came to be. Arthur, taken off the streets after his abusive father was hanged, leaving him orphaned and destitute; John, saved from a mob trying to hang him for thieving, this, of course, after he was also orphaned and had run from an orphanage (orphanages in the 1800s were child workhouses); Tilly, who was rescued after running from her kidnappers, after killing one of them to escape. Javier, freshly in the US, running into Dutch while the pair were stealing chickens, Charles, a loner with no family who had been on his own for decades, accepted into the first group he's known that has treated him fairly. What do these stories all have in common? These people were all at their most vulnerable when they were picked up by Dutch; they all were destitute, poor, hungry, afraid, or searching for a place to belong. It's easy to indoctrinate those that have nothing waiting for them on the outside. Dutch preys on people who have nothing, because when you give people with nothing something—you buy their loyalty right with it.

These people are so very loyal to Dutch that they would die for him; they literally state it (or at least Arthur does). The framing of a family is also a common tactic; if you make these people see you as one big family, not little worker bees, you can convince them anything they do for you is doing something for their family—for the greater good, when in reality, it's for you—it's for your gain. These men are called "Dutch's Boys." This implies a fatherly role, almost infantilizing those under the leader and bolstering their importance within the dynamic. These men have killed, stolen, robbed, kidnapped, and done the worst of the worst for Dutch, under the guise of a better life for them and these people they care about, when in reality it's for Dutch and his ideas that never included them in the end. The rules themselves also point to a cultish dynamic; if you rat, or talk, or are considered a traitor in any way, you are killed. Molly was not the first to be killed for this; I doubt she was even the second. It was so bad at the end that people were sneaking away in the night; they knew truly they were never just free to leave, the thought, or fact, rather, that they would be potentially murdered in front of their fellow camp members outweighing any want or wish for goodbyes. Let this be a reminder that most of these people were so indoctrinated they watched a woman they had lived with and cared for be murdered in cold blood, then be burned rather than buried (a sign of disrespect then), and didn't say anything; they didn't try to stop it; they didn't even defend Molly. Uncle actually brought her back, knowing that she was drunk and hysterical, probably knowing what the outcome would be. We see Arthur, who was realizing the error of his ways and the error of the gang, try and stop things, and later Karen go off on Grimshaw in her drunken state, but besides looking a little shocked and then going right back to work, no one did anything or said anything. Reminder: that's not normal. Killing someone for a betrayal (that turned out to be untrue without further evidence in front of a group of people and presumably a child) with such ease and to state, "It's the rules." As an explanation, it is not a family unit; it is a cult.

I will say that just because this is a cult doesn't mean that Arthur seeing the gang as a family or those members calling themselves family is any less true. That dynamic was real for them,that love was real based upon personal relationships and at some point probably real for Dutch, but realizing that he could get away with anything because he gave these people everything turned slowly into something far more sinister. It went from taking from the rich, taking in the downtrodden to help them to, I saved you; now go do my bidding. These people saw him, saw one another as family, as friends and brothers, and he saw them as chess pieces; he states as much. Again, frog in hot water.

Is the VDL a cult? In many ways, yes—common cult tactics are used by the leader, including love bombing to the women and those who he has raised. Calling Arthur son, knowing he has no father, only when he wants something is manipulation; his interactions and the implications of the change in relationship between him and Molly also imply this. The VDL was never a true family as Dutch would have them believe or have us believe. Arthur is an unreliable narrator in that regard; that love was real, absolutely, but the unit, the scenario, wasn't. The VDL ran like a cult; Dutch was not a good person, and he knew exactly what he was doing the entire time.

That's my hot take for the day.

( @moeitsu I know you said you wanted to read my take on this so I figured id tag!)

[helluva-bored-critical]

Leavin' The Community

Hey y'all. I've never been a frequent poster in the critical community. I joined it to call out bad takes and keep up with how Viv's shows have been goin'. However, there's recently been a lot of infighting.

Whatever the hell the Antivivziepopparade situation may be with some person named Cherri, or whatever the hell is now goin' on with Chai, I didn't join the community for that drama. Course, I've got my own opinions of it---I think Antivivziepopparade's a crazy reactionary and that Chai's got a holier-than-thou attitude sometimes. I don't care if he's into bestiality, that ain't my business. They're just both meh.

But besides my opinions, I didn't join the community for infighting between critics---critics who are dumb or smart, ill or well-meaning, lacking in media literacy or well constructive in criticism, completely unrelated to the Helluverse or fully devoted to it. I joined to see criticism of the shows and criticize bad criticism---mostly from antis or extreme critics.

I guess it's the nature of Tumblr and social media, but I failed to account for how much of it is centered around negativity and how easily you can create echo chambers. Criticizin' criticism or the shows ain't worth anything if you can just block it and stay comfortable in your own space.

In real life, you can't just block everyone you slightly dislike or who shares a different perspective, and that's a good thing. You get exposed to new viewpoints that way and develop critical thinking skills. You develop yourself as a person and learn to not just parrot the opinions of others. Social media destroys that with how fast information is consumed and with our ability to block anyone, all under a guise of anonymity. And, because angry things best make us emotional enough to do share, reblog, and like things, we become easily addicted to pointless sensational drama.

We also become addicted to hating things. Hating something we don't understand is easier than trying to understand it. Furthermore, completely approving of something you love is easier than recognizing it's not perfect and has major flaws. In both cases, it's because people don't want to admit they're wrong.

To see this blind hate and blind love in the critical community, with no reasonable way to call others out for it, is disappointing.

Stella is a bad mom. Stolas is not a completely evil person. Blitzo can be a dick. Angels and demons not having skin colors accurate to humans ain't bad---they're supernatural beings. Vivziepop is not a pedophile or satan incarnate. All criticisms I'd voice if I could. But I've realized my life would be much better if I just left the community. This lack of good criticism isn't good for my mental health, and I've got other things in my life I wanna do. Checking in on this community isn't productive for me. It wastes my time and only makes me angry.

So, it's the smart decision to just leave. I never interacted with it much, but if you're readin' this, take my words as a lesson to not get caught up in the sensationalism of our online world. Is it really worth your time to hate somethin' that'll be gone after you die? Is it really worth your time to have high and mighty values about a show for edgy teenagers? To create a whole account for that hatred?

My answers used to be a slight yes, but I've realized it doesn't help me as a person. If your answers are also a yes, have some introspection for your health. Is it really healthy in the long run to do this?

It isn't. It's healthier to leave.

This is less a goodbye post and more of a critical vent. Nonetheless, I wish all well-meaning critics and fans goodbye.

[apeninastory]

ivan as a tragic-love character (pt.4e?) | Cure edition

Here we go! Last step - for now, because I'm definitely looking forward to Ivan's solo part 2, they own it to us!!

But first, part 4 HERE + a little recap!

Vivimeng gifted us three beautiful tracks with glimpses of Ivan's mind and feelings - and for that, I'll be forever grateful. I can't even begin to say how fascinated I am with this character, it feels like an eternal mistery the more we are shown about him.

Song-wise, we have Nowhere, Black Sorrow and Cure - listed in order of composition/performance and in a somewhat chronological order of the hints about the growing maturity of Ivan's character. Taking into account that the last two were probably not written by Ivan (but are still meant to partly speak about him and his relation to Till), the first his definitely the best portrait we have. Nevertheless, each of them gives us a piece of Ivan as seen from his own eyes/the eyes of Vivimeng, each with something more and something less.

Where Nowhere recounts his life, from his childhood to his years at Anakt up to his graduation (how he tries to fit in, how he imitates to compensate, how the dissonance between the Ivan he is and the Ivan-character he builds forms the mask everyone sees, how he learns to control his emotions, even those he doesn't comprehend and make him bitter, numb, resigned), the delivery of Black Sorrow is its direct outcome.

Nowhere has a flat rhythm, but it's full of complex, vibrating emotions, memories, considerations and images. Black Sorrow has a much more monolitic scenary (black everywhere), but has such richness in the way Ivan sings it and portrays its content - how the power in his voice builds with past flashes of Till, coming out hoarse and breathtaking. I love the play of opposites here, it feels like we are discovering two sides of the same character - the inner, numb voice of a Ivan who offers us a window to his soul and the charming, smiley boy on stage who tells us the story of a sorrowful unrequited love (where in reality, much deeper, it is not only about that, but also about how this world is taking the chance of keep loving Till from the shadows away from him).

Ivan doesn't pretend love from Till - that's not the kind of violence Ivan or his love are made of. It is more a type of intensity, of desperation born from lack of understanding and small, sudden epiphanies - from a need that is also quiet, wary and respectful.

Ivan's love is not pretty, soft and rosy. It blooms in secret, it is obsessive and requires petty attention. How could it not be? Imagine a boy who has never had anything for himself making his first friend. Imagine him being charmed by him and thinking about him and finding his eyes on him all the time - imagine him provocking him, hurting him, feeling guilty and fascinated and confused, because he doesn't really know how people show affection to each other, has never received love and care during his childhood, when it is most important and educational. Imagine him projecting all his hopes and positive feelings onto that person - would his mind accept that person slipping away from him? Till represents so much to Ivan - and contrary to many opinions, it is not Mizi who keeps Till away from Ivan (Mizi is part of what makes Till special in Ivan's eyes). On one hand, it is Ivan himself; on the other it is, of course, their lack of proper communication that makes Till iperaware and wary of Ivan.

Ivan's love is the result of normalized abuse and the lack of stability of an entire life, of the newfound happiness, quiteness, intimate dependability he formed with Till slowly slipping away from him because the alien society decided that they were meant to participate in a game where only one of them (or none) would come out alive. No matter how obedient Ivan is, the stage awaits both him and Till, and he will either die or have to live without Till.

This is the background on which Cure is performed.

12] Cure, or Ivantill at their best (and our worst)

Cure holds a special place in my heart, and I think we all know how impactful Round 6 was on all of us. While a big part of my previous posts were closely related to Ivan as a character experiencing the world, here I can finally delve into my babies' round however I like!

I don't really know how to talk about Till's verse, but I've been looking forward to it. I'd love to analyse him as a character, and I may do that in the near future, but I feel like I wouldn't do him justice - even though both me and Till are INFP and are quite similar. So forgive me if I lose his characterization along the way.

Allow me, to the tips of your fingers Allow me, to the ends of your feet Dissolve me in your gaze I don't want to let you go Please, leave me scars Please, hurt me so that Not a single drop of me remains Let me drown in you

If Till wrote these verses and I was on the receiving end of them, I'd swoon so bad I wouldn't know what to do with myself. But I can't help but think how well they match the second part of the song, when Ivan comes in, so I'm guessing the lyrics were written by the same person (alnst directors or whatever, but neither Till nor Ivan) with a precise theme in mind? Like, impossible love, a love that can never be?

That being said, we know he is thinking about Mizi. (But.)

There is none of the usual bite in Till's voice, but it is still full of emotions. The verses he sings seem like a prayer. A request to touch someone, manifesting his wish of not wanting to let go of that person. It's like he is saying through Cure's lines, "if I am really forced to let you go, if there is nothing I can do, please leave scars on me and make me forget about everything by drowning and losing myself in you/your memory - make me numb to everything so that I don't have to face this alone".

It feels to me that, since Till knows he is about to lose either himself or the one he considers a dear friend (death, either way, will be the outcome of this round), he reaches out to what has always been a source of solace and relief, his safe heaven - the memory and image of Mizi -, to get strength from her. So, while it is true that he is thinking about her, I also think he is reaching for her hand in his mind as a mean to brace himself for the inevitable. There is none of the usual heat in Till's tone, it's like he already perceives the defeat looming over him - he dies or Ivan dies, and either way, it is a loss for him.

There is another interpretation that I want to add, though (one we can make in retrospective, one we all probably matured after Till's death). Let's think about R7 Till - a Till that has already lost Ivan. I feel these words would take a deeper, more desolate nuance, one where Till is asking Ivan to either stay or scar him in a rhetorical way, because Ivan is already gone and he has already hurt Till beyond belief with his sacrifice and the feelings he never revealed. During Blink Gone, Till can't help but drown in his last memory of Ivan.

So maybe, while singing these verses, he is not directly asking Mizi to scar him, nor is he asking Ivan - maybe he is asking god, any god. Maybe there is no one behind those words as Till sings them - after all, I can think Till writing/saying this to Mizi, nor would he say it to Ivan (not pre-Round 7, at least). Those lines are for us, for the ivantill we see and could have been.

Until these falling stars Are buried in the blur of time On your icy lips Read my soul Yes, my soul, oh, oh

I love how perfectly these lines fit ivantill from an outer perspective.

Stars are an important element for both of them, and here, it feels like Till is buring that particular memory deep into his mind - to forget? To hold it dear one last time, since he starts to feel he doesn't have the strength to go on? Without Mizi, Till's chant is teary, a prayer with no god in sight, something sang as a last resort.

On your icy lips - another plea to the singing partner, almost like a prediction of who'll die and have their lips turn cold. If this song is meant to follow the theme of impossible love (not unrequited, just impossible, since one of the two has to die), how profound it is? Something like, "On your lips linger the words with which you will read my soul", as if the first singer is asking the second to dig into his soul and tell what he found there. "Read my love/affection for you in my soul, you know it's there, even if this is the end for us."

Maybe it's time I drown.

Oh, the irony! If only Ivan would do that! Read the affection Till has for him, find it engraved in Till's soul and heart - not romantic in nature, perhaps, but affection nonetheless. Till is unconsciously making a request that Ivan doesn't really hear and has no time to fulfill. Who is contributing in making this love impossible? Huh?!

Even if your cold words Carve scars beneath my eyes May they linger on your tongue You can break me apart Noticе my pain And mend me right now To quiet my fеars I'll drown in you

Ivan's verse are meant to be for Till. No discussion about that. Whoever wrote/chose the song knew - their relationship is made of harsh words and scars, but it holds especially true in Ivan's case. I'll go slow here.

Even if your cold words carve scars beneath my eyes, may they linger on your tongue - It starts with "even", so we already know that whatever comes after, no matter how bad it is, they are not considered totally negative on the singer's part. This song - this moment - makes Ivan realize that despite the harsh threatment he and Till reserved to each other, despite how he himself was far from gentle with the younger boy, he accepts it all. Till's "cold words" can "linger on [his] tongue", can be directed at Ivan, Ivan is fine with it and is giving him his permission: you can break me apart.

Why? Because maybe, like that, with Ivan bleeding from the harsh threatment, Till may notice [his] pain and decide to mend [him], make him whole again. Ivan's words are also a prayer - an hopeful, honest one, contrary to the resignation we find in Till: "do to me whatever you want, I'll accept all of you. Can you please heal me right after destroying me?"

One last request. One last hope, as if hoping to finally have Till look at him.

To quiet my fеars, I'll drown in you - This is probably the part that breaks me the most. Because I don't believe that Ivan wasn't afraid in that moment. For him, these are his last moments, the last minutes he gets to live and to see the person he loves. No matter how indifferent he is/fakes to be of everything, I can see him being afraid and reluctant in those instants - not to die for Till, but to die and say goodbye to him.

I think this is the moment Ivan knew for sure - or at least, since I am bad and am angst-addicted, I like to think it. This is the moment Ivan knew, despite all his own quirks, that he loved Till, and that he should have threated him differently. That's why his comic has so much of what he felt during Round 6 - regret, gratitude for Till being a victim to his shallow emotions and relief, I fear, for being able to do something that can be universally recognized as a symbol of true love (sacrificing himself).

Sick of these nights to come To be engulfed in silence In your gaze, where I'm seen Consume me, yes, me, oh, oh

I said before that something Ivan probably liked about Till was that he didn't have to pretend with him all the time. He could be annoying and a bit violent and unsufferable, and Till would yell at him but still let him stay near. Fake smiles didn't work with Till because Till is sensitive to emotions and their autenticity.

These linese are another fitting set of words for Ivan. I imagine him envoloped by the silence of the night, day after day, as he waits for the inevitable round, imagining him and Till singing together one last time. And of course, the one thing he has always (consciously and unconsciously) wanted - to be seen by Till. He pleas to be consumed, "consume me before death comes to me, before I take the last step and close my eyes and won't be able to see you ever again. Consume me with your eyes, for there is no other way I'd want to die".

To this everlasting melody Face to face, we dance With our story Lost in forever's embrace

Only the first two lines are delivered before the foreseeable tragedy strikes.

To this everlasting melody - I love the use of "everlasting". In a way, this moment will remain eternal, to us and to both of them, as it is the last instance of Ivan and Till together.

Face to face, we dance - These words hold Ivan's desire, but will never come true. Or in a way, perhaps, they do. Ivan's hands are on Till and he leads the younger boy to the end of the song.

These lines offer us the image of something that never will, a truth that is explicitated by the following words: With our story lost in forever's embrace. This song is meant to create a fixed moment of something that the two singers will never be able to replicate.

But we don't even get there, because Ivan notices Till giving up, can't even fulfil the entirety of the song and directly stalks toward him, reaching for Till and granting himself one last selfish wish - something Ivan had asked of Till at Anakt, but was denied.

And the rest is history.

SPECIAL] Of Ivan, Till and love.

Cure represents ivantill not because the words that compose this song are written by them and have to fit them (since they weren't, I think), but because these words describe what they are, what they are not and what they could have been. They mirror their known and unclear dynamics, the feelings they awarely hold for the other and those they can't perceive but that we can see.

This song is meant to be a melancholic love story of inevitable loss between the two singers, but the roles appear to be unclear, like the two of them don't fit perfectly - like they are being forced in those roles. Despite that, they are the perfect pick for the song. Why, then, can we still perceive this as an ivantill song? It's because we know that Ivan loves Till and that Till cares about Ivan, and no matter what we see, Till does feel anguish at the idea of losing him. It is not a conventional performance of an impossible love - it's the ivantill version of it, where what makes it impossible is not only the system they live in, but their miscommunication, antics and reciprocally hiding their true feelings for each other, be it love or something else.

That's why the round and the interpretation of the song are so complex. Mizi was Till's inspiring force and now, in Roung 6, she becomes the source of his remaining strength. It's either he lives or Ivan does, and since he doesn't have the will and energy to go on, Till gives up. He taps on his memory of her and closes his eyes to everything around him, lets himself go and accepts his own death. Maybe that's the moment the idea of Ivan's departure stops weighting on him, because it's when Till stops fighting and singing and knows that if he'll die, Ivan will live, so he stands there and waits. Little does he know...

Till's reaction to the kiss (surprise, resistance, resigned acceptance), the point where the song is interrupted - it is all emblematic of the armonization they should have reached at that point of the performance but never achieved, not on stage, nor in their relationship. The first time I saw the kiss (as an outsider to the fandom, since the kiss was the first thing Alnst related I ever saw - yeah spoilerr I know, twt's algorithm is cruel but knows me best), I had the impression that the gray-haired guy's rejection of the kiss wasn't out of disgust or anger, but of shock and apprehension - like he didn't expect it and was worried they'd get caught. I didn't know they were on a stage (and I though Ivan was police lol), so I was sad when the black-haired guy was shot, but I remember thinking "omg did he do that stunt the protect the other one? Does he love him?" and was immediately sold.

I stand there even now. Ivan does not hesitate - and the moment he reaches for Till, Till's pupils dilatate at Ivan's touch. My brain literally exploded at this detail. Till doesn't start resisting until after Ivan initiates the kiss, and he is just half-heartedly trying to get away - he probably has no energy and is confused as hell. Ivan's closeness doesn't seem to bother him, it's only the kiss that he has no explanation for. He doesn't even struggle when Ivan strangles him.

We know why Ivan did all of that - we know Till was in his mind until the very end, that he probably attacked his opponent to e disqualified and killed. Ivan's sacrifice reflects his last thoughts - I should have been kinder. His last little peck on Till's lips looks like an apology, for the previous forced kiss and everything else.

Heart-breaking highlight of this section: affection was something Till taught Ivan without even realizing. Better, it is something Ivan learned by watching Till nuzzling flowers, raging against injustices, blushing for love, getting offended and sad over something hurtful. That's why Ivan's love was unclear to him but so painfully obvious to us.

Let's remind ourselves a couple of things. Till wasn't aware of Ivan's feelings for him. I feel like he is the type of character that has great empathy and perception, that can easily resonate with the emotions other show and project on him or their surroundings. That's what makes him so vivid, so enraged. Till can't un-feel - it's what makes him so dear to my heart, and what probably made Ivan so intrigued with him. So he probably feels guilty and confused and angry. Those emotions fuel him during the last round, and even if we know (and he probable knows, too) that is isn't enough, he fights.

On the other hand, the Ivan we know loves surprisingly quietly. In secret, in the privacy of his mind and in the background of his own song. The Ivan we know shows affection loudly, hungry for attention, but from behind a wall. Then he brushes it off as if he is mocking his own crush, teasing and childish about admitting his interest. Letting Till know that his affection is real is useless, and nothing will come out of it. Each action has an effect, a consequence, and he probably thinks that a love declaration is done in the hope of receiving affection from someone special. Ivan believes love is unrelated to him, so what's the use? Till would reject him and grow awkward with him and Ivan wouldn't be able to stay by his side anymore, so he only has something to lose. He can't pursue it, can't be greedy for more, because he would be undeserving of it all the same - of Till's good heart, of whatever hunch of affection Till would confirm of having for him.

Ivan wants, but doesn't know how to deal with it. And despite it all, he still reaches for Till - because how can you suppress love in those little moments where your body moves before your mind?

I am not sure if I covered eveything I wanted to say, but writing about them is such a beautiful experience, I probably won't refrain from adding stuff on tumblr if I feel like it. In the end, we go back to the original question I had in mind when starting all this - the idea of Ivan being a tragic-love character, and what it entails.

For someone thinking to be unlovable and with his "unrequited" feelings for Till, Ivan's character has as much to do with love as all the other characters, if not more. Alien Stage itself is a question, reflection and celebration of love. I think that ultimately, it is open to interpretation, as we all have different degrees of sensitivity and can read things in different ways, just like Ivan's askewed perception of himself and how, in his constant, quiet search to fit in and imitate others, he never truly understood that he was indeed loved.

Each character has their own definition of love, and Ivan felt like he did not belong to any of them - while in fact it is not a quest of fitting definitions, but love itself that adapts to the people we have and want in our lives.

So, does Ivan want to be a tragic-love character? Does he willingly become it? I don't think he wants, but in the end, his character intertwines with this vision because even if he can't accept the idea of being loved, he is loved - and his unawareness enhances the tragic nuance of it. Does he actively reject love? Yes and no. I think he'd be happy if Mizi or Sua or Till were to manifest affection toward him, but he'd probably accept it on surface level, or believe they fell for his facade/are doing it out of pity or without truly knowing him.

Consciously, he simply believes that just like people breath and exist, he can't be loved. He didn't have the time, the means and the chances to actively overturn this belief. The tragedy of his character hides in his nature, upbringing and dissonance: it is partly an obvious, inevitable outcome and partly something he didn't stop from happening (because for him it was equally unavoidable). For us, he is a character doomed to a tragic love story. For Ivan himself, love has never been in the picture - his affection was a quiet, brimming thing, and he could only... bury it with himself.

[droodlebug]

thinking about tokyo debunker again big surprise i know. but im thinking about,, the concept of the ghouls' stigmas being directly based on whatever they wished for. im going to go in order of house and just through everyone bc i like thinking about it

Frosty

Jin– stigma is to be able to literally command people for a time. it seems it is directly tied to his mental state whether or not he can use it (outside of the enhancement of the ring). hes the son of the president of anamolous research; it could be he wanted to be listened to either by a parent thats too busy or be listened to Over his father. With its connection to his mental state, maybe it has to do with an event where something happened specifically because he was unable to get people to do as he said because of an internal conflict. or it could be as simple as "i am the son of an important person i want everyone to do what i say"

Tohma– her stigma is described as being able to "send vibrations." this allows for destruction and for sending what are essentially radio signals to be able to telepathically talk to people, though its unknown if it allows for being able to hear anything back or if its just a one-way system. My idea is tohmas wish was to make an impact. To "make waves." Vibrations allow for this to happen literally and physically as well as allowing social influence via sending messages straight into peoples heads. We also know tohma used to be in vagstrom, the house given to those that pursue change and freedom. Shes now in frostheim, the one for ambition and unchanging goals. These also both happen to fit really well in line for someone who wants to make things change, make waves, make vibrations.

Lucas–it is probably the Most straightforward one. He wears his heart on his sleeve we dont have to guess too far. Lucas wants to protect people. It Wants to be a protector that is his goal in life. To use his power to help and protect. His stigma is to be, essentially, a shield. With him carrying around snacks and implying he used to always keep them specifically for its brother, we can infer that he was always protective of its twin. Maybe it was even a wish specifically to protect his brother that was painfully twisted by whatever demon granted that wish.

Kaito– We don't know Exactly what Kaitos stigma is. Hyde says it has to do with seeing auras, but Kaitos ability to see Luca's powered up stigma, to see usually far, and even to be able to near perfectly read lips can be inferred in our time with her. Taking into account her want to fit in with crowds and be up to date on trends and gossip as well as kaitos staunch awareness of how shes treated, we can guess the wish may have been along the lines of wanting to see more. Depending on what all Kaito can see, it may be a wish given vaguely and twisted. Or, it could be more specific, like wanting to be able to see people better, to see things first, to see how people are feeling, to see why people treat her differently, etc etc. With as vague as it is now, there's quite a few different variations that could apply. Given Kaito's clear lack of self esteem thats made up for by desperately trying to fit in, I'm inclined to believe it was something along those lines.

Vaggy

Alan– his stigma is unnatural strength. a wish to be strong. That's a pretty common wish, and a common feeling. Even if it wasnt meant literally, this is a really clear way to turn that wish into a power. Especially when it's someone like Alan, who is to the point and wouldnt add flowery language. Even assuming the demons just inheritly Know what the wishes theyre granting for someone are, wanting to be stronger physically is, again, not uncommon. Especially not for someone with an implied (and stated) tumultuous past like Alan.

Leo– Also realllly self explanatory. Leo has amplified hearing. personality-wise, he's a rat–a snitch. he thrives off using information to get his way and blackmail people and to presumably further his online career. Of course he'd wish to be able to hear people and eavesdrop on shit.

Sho– their stigma is ??? to jam stuff?? which includes opening doors and pushing ghosts and a myriad of other loosely connected things? Keeping in mind their implied estrangement from their family (and leo, especially since we dont know if theyve known each other before the demon pacts), it could be a wish to want to keep people away, or to make it easier to run away. If he knew leo before make the pacts and, considering how leo treats sho and how sho doesnt Really seem fond of leo, was pressured into it, maybe it has something to do with wanting to get away from leo ? hard to say on this one

Jabber

Haru– his stigma is to move fast. of course the ball of restless energy would want to be able to move fast and do a bunch more stuff. this stays in line whether we think of them now as they are in jabberwock, or as of his how he was in (presumably) sinostra. haru is a buzzing busybody. No stretch to say hed wish he could Do More.

Towa– another nebulous stigma. Lets put all the individual information of what he can do under an umbrella and say we know towa can control weather. Specifically, he seems to have a strong handle on lightning and wind in particular. Focusing on lightning, we know via conversations with Ed that towa used to have a disdain or hatred for humanity. This is also something we can still get glimpses through in her lack of care for people (and anomalies) being or getting hurt and their flippant attitude toward death. If we think of someone who has no care for life and a sour attitude toward people, well, wanting to hurt or cause destruction would be a good wish, wouldnt it? Which falls in line with Towa's reliance on lightning, which in many cultures and religious mythologies symbolizes anger, destruction, and vengeance. retribution.

the bigger question is whether or not towa is human (likely not), if being nonhuman is a source of some (still a ghoul) or all (not even a ghoul) of his powers, or if she has multiple stigmas giving him multiple powers, or a combination of any of the above. if we go along the line of them having multiple stigmas, his control over the wind may be indicative of a second wish to be able to help who she cares for (haru, most likely). Wind pollinates, carries, cools, and in many places you can see wind symbolizes healing and positive change. Alternatively, if all of towas powers come from one wish and he was a mortal being before making a pact, the powers of weather as a whole are great forces of destruction in enough capacity. and we have seen how destructive and scary they can be when they are upset.

or maybe this guy is just an anomaly, a forgotten small god such as the one in chapter 13, and darkwick has been keeping her there and haru was the first person to treat him like a person and "wish" to her which restored their faith in humanity to a degree (and is why he seemed in pain right after haru prayed to the other god) and this is where all her powers come from no demon input. or maybe still some demon input. who knows! i love him. so much to chew on.

Ren– SO. all we know for his stigma as well is that it's "good for cleaning messes." ok. whats good at cleaning messes (and is often a mess itself) that ren also happens to have an intense phobia of and avoids at any cost. water. i dont see ren being the kind of person to just go along and make a lact with a demon. Unless. It would help him avoid water. To never have to go near it, especially since it is explicitly not just the ocean, but Any body of water he fears. What better way to grant the wish to avoid bodies of water than by giving someone the ability to conjure or manipulate water?

not directly related but this would be a fun tie in to the hints of ren being the mermaid whether or not he even knows it, and that his fear of water is connected to that. (and if Ren doesnt even know what he is, that would be why he isnt in obscuary. clearly the guy doesnt go swimming so it wouldnt be a stretch at all)

Sinostra

Romeo– bomb stigma. the things he values most blow up the biggest. if we take into consideration his family having been passingly mentioned as losing their designer brand, we can start to connect some dots. romeo is materialistic, hot-headed, and prideful. so, in the fall of his family's brand, its easy to picture him in a rage at incompentence costing him what he is owed. Then, he wishes to make sure that he never makes the mistake of blowing up his assets. Then, he's given that in the most purposfully literal way possible. His most valuable assets are the ones he can blow up the best

Taiga–Also one of the easy ones. Heavily implied that its stigma allows it a glimpse into the future at the cost of his memories. the guy is a gambler and a generally risk-taking criminal. wishing to see the future to ensure you never lose, never miss a mark, it's very classic. and coupled with its memory loss is a fun bit of irony

Shinjo– another straightforward one! she can harden her body to take any blow. her goal in life is to be the most prestigious lawyer in the history of ever. so. you want to be able to take anything that can come at you. especially if we keep in mind the rumors of shinjos father being corrupt, which could mean dangerous clients and associates.... protection is important. she already has the legal knowledge and smarts to stay protected there, so the physical is the only flaw to fill. this would absolve the work of having to train, giving more time allotted to work and study. its the inverse of luca, she wouldnt be considering the protection of anyone but herself. wish to cast a shield on the only part unprotected–the physical.

Hotorubi

Suburu– his stigma is being able to see all te thoughts and memories of everything and everyone he touches. Whatever shady shit he may or may not be doing, subaru is unequivocally an anxious mess. what is a common wish during anxiety? wishing to know what everyone is thinking. and now he does, whether he wants it or not.

from here on is where it gets a bit dicey due to lack of knowledge

Haku– ok this is the one i have Nothing on. no clue what his stigma is other than he is almost certainly the one that conducted the stigma test for the MC. no idea what his desires are. other than the lack of information, haku is already the exact kind of character/person i struggle to understand on a base fundamental level tbh. moving on

Zenji– ??? dont know their stigma or of they can even use it as a ghost

Obscuary

Rui– His stigma allows him to ease other peoples physical pain for a while. we see through every interaction with rui that he is a person who is constantly thinking of other people and trying to make things better and easier for them. it stands to logic that he would wish to be able to help. well. ease people's pain. thank goodness he doesnt have to touch people to do it i suppose. small mercies

Edward– Unclear if anything hes done is his stigma or if its all just been old vampire knowledge and powers only so another harx ???? for now

Lyca– his stigma is ? following smells. the only reason we know thats not a werewolf thing is because he verbally activates it. but. we also know a lot about lyca. much like alan, he is a very straightforward thinker and doesnt mince words. he knows exactly what he wants. it os unclear if he was a ghoul when taken by darkwick, but he was taken and immediately imprisoned on a murder accusation so that does seem unlikely. (and also does like ? does darkwick even Know lyca is a ghoul or do they think he is still Just a wolf boy) Itd stand to reason Lyca was taken advantage of in the vulnerable state of a prisoner by a demon. We already know what lyca has been wishing for this whole time. To reuinite with Neros. And what would help that wish come true? Being able to follow anything and anyone hes smelled before.

[pleasantspark]

HelluvaHazbin Selfaware AU Rewrite: Mammon Sticks It To Beezlebub.

The room was silent as Mammon stood back, he seemed to be quiet, he tried to ask Leviathan (albeit awkwardly.) about catching up as they haven't been hanging out in awhile at all. But Levi mistook it as him trying to flirt with him.

That's when that fat shaming son of a bitch Beezlebub chimed in. "What's wrong, Mams? Mad because no one will fuck you? Look at how sloppy and disgusting you are."

Mammon's hold on the bucket of chicken he had tightened as his face turned a shade of red, he didn't let it bother him. No. He had better things to do instead of worry about what people said.

"Oh piss off you tosser!" He shouts back at Beezlebub, "Aren't ya the one who indulges in yerself? I thought the point of Gluttony was to pig out! Why are ya JUST now directing your disdain of me, a male indulging in my whims? I'd thought you of all people would be in support of it, or is it because rules of thee does not apply to me."

Silence.

It was far worse silence then Fizzarolli attempting one of the many, many, many tricks he had him perform only for the same imp to fail each and every time leaving Mammon to punish said imp for failure. Something he never liked to do, but had to do. Something he regretted.

The Silence dragged on until Asmodeus' smooth voice broke them from their respite.

"Actually, Mammon is, correct. Morally speaking why do you get to decide if what he was indulging in is gross? Come to think of it, aren't we all sins? Aren't we all just bad people?" Asmodeus asked.

"I have never thought to see the day where Asmodeus sees eye to eye with Mammon of all people." Satan rolled his eyes.

"Hey, we may have bad blood back from the days of the circus, and how he treated Fizz, but I won't hesitate to call out hypocrisy. I just don't get why it's okay for other people to do things that Mammon's doing, but when they do it, it's morally acceptable."

"Sometimes there's no real logic in way things work Asmodeus, sometimes you just have to accept that things are the way they are. This may be Hell, but that gives no excuse for people to be disrespectful to those without warning. Reminder, Hell doesn't give you the excuse to be far worse. You are your own person. You're not some person in a show that was centered around one point before turning into a literal fanfiction. Or written by someone who lacked basic actual context clues. You are a being that is in control of his own actions."

As Satan says this, the group looked towards the screen. Before turning back to their own works.

"It feels like I am written by someone who lacks basic understanding of nonce who thinks that all Aussie's are evil mustache twirling POS who are fat and unoriginal." Mammon said.

Before anyone can answer. The door opened, Satan expected Stolas to arrive but what he didn't expect was one of his kind, an imp.

"Who is this?" Satan asked, as the imp made her way up to Mammon and sat on his lap. She gave him a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh her?" Mammon smiled, "This is my wife, Seraphina."

Watching as Beezlebub's mouth drop open, and Mammon spoke again.

"Now, what was that about how, 'No one will fuck me' Bee?"

A/N: I hope you liked it, if you are all aware, my AU (the self aware au) is supposedly gonna affect everyone BUT Stolas, as this is meant to be for shits and giggles. This is tied to my @seraphinacriticizes and @mammoncriticizes accounts, I generally wanna get into rewriting the series and redesigning them. So if anyone wanna work together feel free to ask me in inbox or dms! I wanna work on redesigning everyone and adding new characters + characters from Zoophobia! The Criticize Blogs are somewhat of a group effort, I know I left the critic community but I would be around somewhat to talk about critical stuff or even making rewrite/redesigns! Let me know how this was.

[bbiniana]

People in this fandom treat Louis like he’s a saint but he was a emotionally and verbally abusive partner to both lestat and Armand a lot of the time (trapping a person you barely like in rebound situationship hell is a different kind of cruel and if Armand and lestat weren’t Armand and lestat and were not abusers themselves people would be able to see this more clearly) was physically violent with Claudia ,Armand and grace, put hands on lestat and was an entire serial killer during the 70s specifically preying on gay men who were down and out, left the first person who helped him in Romania to get put down like a dog, tried to kill a young junkie kid for being stupid and saying dumb shit ( Daniel’s insane lack of empathy during that episode is acknowledged though because telling someone you’ll be better than their dead kid sick) and prostituted women fully knowing it was wrong just so he could keep his family in luxury and was physically and emotionally violent with a chronically ill elderly man who didn’t do anything wrong other than try to hold him accountable . He is an awful person like everyone else in the diabolicule and that’s just a fact. He tends to hide it in this hypocritical genteel veneer, but if you ignore his words and look solely at his actions you’ll see that Saint Louis is not an apt nickname at all. What’s worse is usually only does good things to assuage his guilt ( making claudia after getting an entire community screwed over, the bright young reporter speech after trying to kill Daniel and provoking Armand, making madeleine to make up for constantly neglecting Claudia and picking mentally ill twunks over her).

And ok this is the toxic fruity bloodsucker show and we don’t expect any of these guys to be sweet and wholesome but the way people treat him like he’s done nothing wrong in his relationships grinds my gears.

They are all bad people. Louis was no doubt the victim of manipulation, gaslighting and physical abuse in his relationships but he was also abusive, and we can try to justify his mistreatment of Armand and lestat because they are lestat and Armand but there’s no excuse for his neglect of Claudia, grabbing her that way, ignoring her self harm, going back to her abusive cheating father, choosing Armand(one of her murderers) over her and then spitting on her memory by running right back into the arms of the man who made her life miserable and lead to her death.

That’s the thing about this show, it’s just cruelty and bad decisions and romantic toxicity, it’s very heavy allegory of the way familial and platonic relationships are neglected in favour of romantic ones or used to sustain them. It’s knowing you have failed so many people you claimed to love and having to live with that until the sun fucking explodes because you’re literally immortal, but it’s also the hope that by having time as a completely infinite resource it’s possible unlearn these cycles. Louis and lestat were never healthy or good to each other but there was love there and it showed , and maybe they can find a way to make that enough this time around. I don’t think lestat will get over the events of their first marriage and I think when the self awareness kicks in Louis won’t escape the guilt either and maybe that’s what they both need,

There are always 2 sides.

The discourse around Louis and Lestat being a victim and abuser and nothing more drives me insane.

Something i don't think enough people remember is that the very same reason the fight began in 1×05 (lestat grabbing claudia by the throat when she tries to "take louis away") we see Louis himself do to her in 1×07 when she tries to get Louis to burn Lestat.

They BOTH would harm her rather than live in a world without the other. They are both guilty of abusing her and each other.

There is an implication that a good deal of time passed between Louis and Lestat meeting and the church. Louis expresses that he shares himself with Lestat in a way he only had with Paul. I would assume that goes both ways, to a degree. We know Louis knows at least enough about Nicki to discourage Claudia poking that wound. He also clearly knows that the threat of leaving is his most powerful weapon against Lestat.

Mental abuse is abuse. And Louis abused Lestat mentally for years. Shaming him, ridiculing him, shutting him out, manipulating him into making Claudia (a traumatic moment for him, whether Louis understands the depths of it or not) by promising to give him what he's being denying him, promising to never put him through what he fears the most.

Louis admits to purposely making Lestat suffer. He admits he was warned that Claudia would suffer and he wanted her anyway because he needed to feel redeemed. He is not innocent. He is not a trapped, weak victim. He made choices to hurt both Lestat and Claudia time and time again.

Does this justify Lestat's actions in 1×05? Obviously not. But we now know Louis was not willing to stop the fight. He taunted Lestat the same way he taunted the Alderman. He was unleashing years of frustrations just as Lestat was. His priority was not to protect Claudia, it was to hurt Lestat, consequences be damned.

I hate the drop scene as much as the next person and Lestat has admitted he will never earn forgiveness for what he did. But if you view Louis as some squeaky clean victim who was manipulated, trapped, and abused by Lestat you are missing so much of what this show is conveying.

We will always tend to paint ourselves as the hero of our own story. It is hard to accept your faults or that you hurt people you love. It is much easier to shift that blame on to someone else, to frame them as the villian. But life is not usually that black and white. Claudia had harsh words for them both in her diary, even before they got to Europe, for a reason. They both made hurtful mistakes with her, both treated her like a pawn in their relationship instead of a person, both harmed her, took away her choice, never prioritized her.

That is the great tragedy. That she never had a choice and was not allowed to be her own person. And in the end, they both are responsible for her misery and her death. That's what makes the reunion scene so important. They have been grieving her and carrying that guilt alone, all the while longing for the comfort of the other for 70+ years. Louis has found clarity in his memories, he has accepted his role in their suffering, he has seen Lestat's perspective more fully. Lestat is broken, totally consumed with that guilt and grief. Both know that although they cannot change what they've done, they can forgive the other, even if they can't forgive themselves. They can love each other despite everything they've done to one another because they cannot stop loving each other. But now they can try to rebuild that love from the rubble.

[frienderbee]

The thing that's really pissing me off about the Caitibugzz situation is how quick people have been to disagree and stand against her.

"She saw the clout shubble got!" The whole point shubble wanted to make was that people should feel comfortable coming out about this stuff and that we should support the victims. And frankly if anything standing up against a creator this babied and beloved with a platform that size would only hurt her follower count.

"Its her own fault for drinking" Maybe drinking at a party with people she did not know well wasn't the safest decision in hindsight but it doesn't mean it was HER fault. She had no reason to believe she was in an unsafe position till she was.

"Well why didn't she leave, why'd she keep coming back?" We only know she kept coming back from George. All the things he said regarding the night has no proof and I'm sick of seeing people say there is??? The things that do line up are him touching her, not asking her age, not asking consent. We can't know for sure what he said is true at all.

"Well she was at a 21+ party! She lied about her age" Okay not only was that not true as it was a 16+ party. But it also doesn't fucking matter how old she was?? Her being freshly 18 adds in the factor of the power dynamic and worsens the situation, yes. But if she is being touched without consent and is uncomfortable then it doesn't matter how old she is, it's still wrong for her to be in that situation.

Even before people made any connection to George people were saying "her tears seemed forced" or "she's not even really crying". I watched the stream live and saw tears going down her face and heard her voice break. I've even seen people say "she's literally reading it!' YES. She wrote down her thoughts to make a statement cause she knew it would upset her.

Finally I don't understand why people are saying Her story had too many holes compared to George when if we focus on the things they have in common its still clear that George assumed everything, didn't ask consent or her age, and did touch her.

Maybe George genuinely believes he is innocent but I think it's telling that he doesn't even deny most the events, just says they were exaggerated and that He thought it was okay. She didn't.

[kelin-is-writing]

Sorry, but I can’t stop think about this right here…

[pilonciillo]

lol didn’t think someone giving money would give me anxiety

[ahalliance]

how do i turn qantoine’s spontaneous marriage proposal to qetoiles into evidence of his early-days fear of qfrench drifing away and keeping secrets from one another

[seventh-district]

not even gonna tag this properly bc i don't wanna get Involved but i do have some Thoughts i need to get out into the void so here we go

(aaa quick edit: CW for mention/discussion of Boothill leaks)

[amoxclav]

rereading cheese in the trap (as one does) and genuinely taken aback at how scary jung is in the beginning (and how little i think the story actually manages to 'rehabilitate' him in my eyes by the end)

[daydreamerdrew]

Tales of Suspense (1959) #92

[fideidefenswhore]

"bright and breezy tudor historian", the absolute gall.

[moth-mart]

Stylus & Dae are the only ones of the main 4 who can drive but Stylus is banned from it on account of road rage