#i'm like the least interesting person ever

[neuship-zone]

Okay I know I said I wasn't gonna respond but then they hit me with this stupid diagram so now I need to unpack this

YOU are arguing in bad faith.

From the moment you saw my reblog you immediately assumed a whole bunch of things about me and have refused to let any of those assumptions for this entire reblog chain. I just decided to glare over the obvious issues so that I could at figure out where you were coming from. I now have no more reason to do that, so there's no point in continuing the discussion.

"You are pretending to be a revolutionary"

No I'm not. Once again, my original post has NOTHING to do with my own political stance. Yes this is a political book written by someone who's...controversial, to put it lightly, but that does not stop me from having my own interpretation of the book. At no point have I ever said that my interpretation is correct. I have, however, said that I don't agree with the idea that the book is telling you not to stand up to your oppressors (though I would not refute the idea that it's the author's irl intentions). At no point has anyone given me a reason to believe in this interpretation. Instead, you in particular have immediately profiled me as a "liberal" (which may I add, is a word that is also used as an insult by CONSERVATIVES), called me a chimpanzee for having an opinion (mind you, I'm black, so I have a very good reason for finding that racist), and kept trying to spread the idea that I'm trying to be 'revolutional' and that I think George Orwell is peak revolutionary media. My brother in Christ I'm talking about a book. Yes it relates to the real world (read: me comparing the book to Stalin's reign, someone else comparing what I said to what's going on in America with Trump), yes the book is trying to be anti-communist, yes George Orwell is a bad person. None of that changes what I've said.

"While defending liberal capitalism and british imperialists"

How? How does anything about my interpretation of the book relate to this? I've already made it clear I don't support Orwell, and nothing in my original interpretation is even CLOSE to matching that description.

You wanna talk media literacy? Stop profiling people over their interpretation of fiction. That's literally the point of my blog, actually - for people to stop using taste in fiction to determine morals.

And besides we need to break down this diagram

Why are you insulting people who can't read? (Mega ironic considering the rest of the animals in Animal Farm)

Why do you hate Biden voters? Would you have preferred they vote for Trump?

The fact that you think "Hitler youth" (aka neo-Nazis) stem from Biden voters says A LOT MORE about you than any nonsense you've spouted about me

I'm actually kinda flattered you think my post questioning someone's interpretation of a fictional story whilst giving mine is gonna have this big of a reach <3

Also you really like chimpanzees, don't you? You think using animals as insults makes your point stronger?

Hands down, you're a reactionary mfer who needs to be called out. I wouldn't be surprised if you secretly supported MAGA. I'm glad I at least engaged long enough to be able to unpack that much.

Stop attacking "liberal punks" and work on yourself.

Unfortunately I don't think I can block people on sideblogs, but I encourage anyone else reading this to block them on my behalf.

By the way, in case anyone's curious, I have no opinion on capitalism or communism. All the people I've seen (especially on this site) with strong opinions either way turn out to be nasty people like this guy. I am also simply not interested in conversations about which one is better (because usually no-one speaking is doing so in good faith so I'd just rather not). Please do not send me asks about communism/capitalism (unless it's in the content of fiction obvi), because I will simply delete them.

very funny to me when people act like animal farm and 1984 are revolutionary anti government texts that the Powers That Be dont want you to read when they have literally been a part of every standard middle/highschool english lit cirriculum in the usa and beyond for decades. precisely because theyre such convenient primers to propagandize that Commies = Bad. the government is quite literally making kids read them

[orionhelluvaranting]

Like creator, like character

Isn't that interesting how every bloody time someone tries to call Stolass' out this frigging owl finds a way to justify himself or shift the blame?

"I would feel bad if I hurt you but we both know I didn't do that!"

"Cheating implies there was a betrayal..."

"I don't look down on you!"

"I didn't leave you, I would never, that wasn't my choice!"

And do you know who does the exact same thing?

Vivziepop by herself! 🌟

"You disapprove me for sexualizing the rapist and preferring to sell merch with him rather than with his victim? C'mon, guys, Val isn't real! He's Karen from 'Mean Girls'! Fiction is an escape!.. You're just pissy your faves didn't get merch!"

"I liked the post calling my haters 'subhumans'? Well, people are just 'exhausted of being attacked for liking a show'. My fans harass critics? It sucks, but my fans are 'scared to talk about liking the show due to the harassment'. So you're no any better!"

"You've found a plothole XYZ, inconsistency in the story, lame jokes or any other flaws of my shows? No, my writing is smart and logical, bc I said so! Learn to read between the lines!"

"You think I have favoritism toward certain characters? No way! Stolass and Blitz are BOTH in the wrong, I'm gonna show this! Millie isn't ignored by the narrative, actually I'm so excited for you to know about her more! Loona doesn't speak a half of the season because... it was easier on the budget. HB has steered more towards a male-led stories. It's intended this way. You're just misunderstand my genius thought process."

"That's not my problem", "I care about SA victims," "Grow up!" etc.

And I'm not even talking about the justifying/problematic tweets she simply liked 💫

This woman always has an excuse. For everything. Just like Stolass does. Honestly I'd rather not speculate about Stolass being Viv's self-insert (as other critics said long before) but that kind of behavior only confirms such statements. It's like they both live by this quote:

Say whatever you want but for me this is the main proof that Stolass will NEVER take responsibility for his own actions. Because it's seems like Vivienne has no clue how to do this either. She doesn't think she could ever be wrong. So she uses the same mentality for Stolass since he's her beloved pet.

And which one of Viv's excuses is your personal favorite? Mine is "We didn't ask anyone to redesign these characters, it's a choice". Sounds like "They should've seen that coming! It's their own fault they're harassed! What did they even expect?" for me. Just fucking brilliant! 😤💢

PS/ I hasn't been monitoring Vivziepop closely enough all the time and maybe I don't see the whole picture, so please correct me if I'm wrong here but... I can't remember a single time this woman admitted her wrongness or apologized sincerely. Ever. I mean, if there's at least one case of Viv making amends or smth it would be nice, even if it prolly won't fix everything.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm treading water and so is BL

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2025 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Your Sky (Sun iQIYI) ep 12 end - I love this show so much.  So sweet. I adored it when Rak (FINALLY!) took the initiative! 

Conclusion

As pulps go this is right up there with my favorite if all time, My Ride, but for different less complex reasons. This is a relatively simple, old school, endearingly soft story of a fake relationship between a sunshine sweetie and an older reserved rich kid who slowly fall in love. Its soft gentle low-stakes leans into everything I personally love about Thai BL. It’s a warm fuzzy robe of a show. 9/10 

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 9 of 12 - Thame is the poutyest of pouty babies. I love the ribbing that he got from his group the next morning (that wasn't). That said when we got a kiss it was a VERY GOOD kiss. This is a very me truly great show that I’m enjoying so much. 

The Boy Next World (Sun IQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - I really can’t fault the chemistry with this pair. From kissing to making out they're awesome at ALL OF it. I like the twist (that there is not parallel world jsut the edge of insanity). It's delusional and sus and obsessive and very "seme who missed his meet cute with his uke" and is being forced by a narrative to fast forward. So 90s yaoi. Can Mame push this edge in the right way? Doubtful. But BossNoeul will make it fun for us to watch no matter how questionably messy it gets.

(Yes, there IS a "right way.")

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - fun penultimate episode.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 15 of 24 - It's fine. Even cute. I think I like PerthSanta better than ForceBook but I really want the next pair the most. 

Sangmin Dinneaw (Sun iQIYI) ep 6 of 10 - Enter my least favorite trope of all time, the amnesia trope. Also random doctor couple. This show is nothing if not erratic. 

Flirt Milk (Sat YT) ep 3 or 10 - ugh

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - Is this punishment for how good Cherry Magic Thailand was?

Gelboys (Weds iQIYI) ep 1 of 7 - it started but I didn't realize so I'll catch up next week.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

When it Rains it Pours (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - I adore them so much, these two sad desperate horny cheating boys. Lube! Argh. Please! The stark lack of affection in this show is about as dry and painful as the sex must have been. But, its all very tense and I kinda love it's minimalistic angst. 

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 8 of 12 - what a pity, just throwing away that cute color matched BDSM set. Ever 4 is SO CUTE when he smiles, but he would have been cuter smiling and holding that red bullwhip.

Heart Stain (Korea Weds IQIYI) eps 1-2 of 8 - I like it! It’s Korea doing its all-time favorite trope, the love triangle, but an interesting take. One boy is in love with his teacher but his best friend is in love with him. Let the drama commence.

Impression of Youth (Taiwan Weds Viki) eps 5 of 9 - Such a great brother relationship! My goodness the courage on that kid. Also, they jumped into the sack fast, even for Taiwan.

Fight for Love (Vietnam YT) ep 1 - A new VBL that is actually quite fluffy and charming. It is extremely lightweight but I’m enjoying that aspect. I like Vietnamese comedy more than Thai, I think.

Checkered Shirt (Korea YT) ep 1 of 8 - From the same people sho did Seoul Blues. I like it but this studio isn't vested in HEA so I'm wary. 

FC Soldout (Korea Thurs iQIYI) eps 1-4 of 8 - Huh. Interesting. The premise is kinda fun, even if (you know me) I never like obsessed fans. Creeps me out. That said, everyone is surprisingly gay for a KBL - like gay GAY. I know that’s a weird thing for me to say in a BL, but Korea is usually awfully het about their BL.

Anygay, of course I already like the side couple best. The gruff team captain and the pretty idol with a sad past win. WIN WIN. Give me an entire show about them please.

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 18 of 20 - (the end is in sight, but sheesh!) it was OK because mostly it was all the friends over at the house and doing stuff together. But still not a lot is happening.

It's airing but......

I Will Turn Back Time (China Gaga) 6 eps - It’s Chinese, no idea if it will end well or not. But it’s the stepbrothers trope. Still, I’m not gonna watch it until it’s done.

In Case You Missed it

End of year wraps are here!

2024 Trend Report

MY BEST & WORST BLs of 2024

Best Kisses (and sex scenes) of 2024

BL's 2024 Quirky Awards

2024 Awards - Quick Picks

Next Week Looks Like This:

Like last week we already in the middle, I promise I should be back on schedule soon. You'll get you calander image then.

2/14 Exclusive Love (Taiwan Gaga) trailer - Shy aspiring singer inherits funeral business.

2/14 The Last Time (Thailand WeTV) trailer - from 2024, not sure about this one, looks dark.

2/21 Bali Hai (Thailand ????) no MDL listing, only rumors, unsure on deets.

2/27 Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) - Stars Wei's Kim Jun Seo. Adapted by Cradle Studio (Kakao). About clever and resourceful Daon who has worked hard to overcome being poor. His cheap ways annoy his coworker, Sunghyeon but after “an incident” with his parents, Daon grows closer to him. But Daon also has feelings for his former tutor. This has the signs of a classic Kdrama all over it: Office setting, love triangle, lead suffering for his self-actualization. I’m optimistic about a longer treatment.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Such beautiful surrender (Your Sky).

Yeah all the build up for some great payout, thanks ThamePo.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[glamfellens]

Fallout 3 wasn't the worst game but did have positives, it's design and ambience were the scariest in the series (in terms of actually scaring me) and the main story and side quests had some really good moments. Fallout 4's story was terrible but the romances were not bad compared to other game series. Personally, I'm kind of glad Avowed wont have romances (unless they changed their minds or are lying to surprise people while playing) because Obsidian's romances have never been the best. I'm not obsessed with games having romances but I'd at least like them to be of good quality, which is rare in Obsidian's games (for me). I think I've only ever liked 3 or 4 romances at most from them. That's why I'm glad New Vegas also didn't have romances. By the way, this isn't dissing Obsidian, Bioware for the most part had abyssal romances before Origins. I'm just worried that there will be romances to avoid.

yeah like, fallout 3 and 4 do have things going for them! but the kind of fallout experience bethesda is interested in giving is just not what i want out of fallout, personally. this is what carrie patel has said about romance in avowed (from ign):

from what i can tell they just decided that it doesn't fit the vibe of avowed, and romance isn't something they are interested in focusing on in avowed (and other obsidian games). so i don't think they are lying about not including it, these reasons seem genuine to me. so i wouldn't worry about having romances to avoid, personally! i don't mind there being romances in video games, but after seeing some of josh sawyer's comments about it i understand where he's coming from. (This is from 2006 lol but given this more recent interview here I think he's remained pretty consistent on this stance.)

[holmoris]

I have shotgun empathy. If there's an estate sale because the house owner died, there will be a shotgun hidden somewhere and I will find it within 30 seconds regardless how well they hid it. This has happened (and this is not an exaggeration) at least a dozen times in the last decade.

Things that make this significantly funnier:

I'm 100% not a gun person (gimme recurve bows. gotta find an estate sale bow to top the ridiculous #120 draw monster that's impossible to aim and explodes arrows)

It's never a playboy or a revolver or drugs or anything else people would feasibly hide in their house. It's always, without fail, a dusty double-barrel that looks like something from a 1930s farm.

I'm 6'3 and have extremely obvious Russian heritage.

At least 3 different estate runners have seen me disappear into a garage and emerge 30 seconds later with a shotgun from nowhere which I apathetically drop on their checkout table like a dog returning a particularly interesting stick. At least one of them has seen me do it multiple times at different sales. It is never, ever not funny and becomes even funnier if the gun was loaded when I found it and get to drop the shells on the table next to it to really emphasize how badly they screwed up searching the house.

They say everyone has a mundane superpower

Small things, little things, things you might not even notice if the circumstances aren't exactly right. Like, someone out there always manages to wake up right with the alarm. Someone never, ever sprains their ankle. Someone has never assumed there was one more step in the staircase. That kinda thing. Personally, I'm immune to the hazards of those giant retail mazes. like. I go to CostCo. I get my toilet paper or paper towels. I get my basil butter salmon. I eat my hot dog and chocolate chip cookie. I leave. I go to IKEA. I get my bookshelf. I glance at a few trinkets without leaving the path. I eat my meatballs and slice of Daim cake. I leave. I go to the Labyrinth. I fight the minotaur. I walk directly to the exit. I give Ariadne a hug. I eat my gyro and baklava. I leave. It's very simple, I'm very efficient, and you should always take me with you.

[solidaritygaming-fanblog]

(using u as my own personal soundboard rubber duck method yada yada ya if anyone wants this u can have it)

SO villain/vigilante jimmy au

like no one suspects him. why would they? it's jimmy. sweet jimmy, harmless jimmy, can barely keep himself alive jimmy. jimmy the normal guy, the civilian in this au (which I have now decided is a modern day superhero au ig)

Jimmy? a (kind of) villain? dude cries over babies and kittens and despite being afraid if spiders always asks that they get taken outside rather than killed. the man is so oblivious. he isn't even. aware that basically all of his friends are involved in the superhero life (hero, antihero, vigilante, villain or otherwise) obviously he must be protected. everyone on all sides agrees that Jim's little shop (birdie bakes? codfathers chippy? big man flowers idk dude I'm bad at names u choose) is a neutral zone. everyone has to play nice. can't break poor timmys heart after all

but canary? the harbinger if chaos? oh he's bad. the domino that sets everything in motion leaving destruction in his wake. it's not so bad, most of the time. sure there's a lot of injuries and trauma but rarely any death. except when there is. except when ur reminded that canary isn't just a prankster who likes causing property damage but someone who has a body count. someone who is truly terrifying when he wants to be. someone who's casual, friendly disarming demeanor should not EVER be mistaken for harmless.

his identity is anyone's guess really, no other villain has seen what he looks like or gotten even a hint if a name. most are too afraid to ask and the ones that aren't (or so they insist) haven't asked either. not because they're afraid of having the canary on their bad side of course they just not interested. totally that and nothing else

(they're terrified. after all, he's an unknown that everyone knows isn't all that stable. a ticking time bomb. a canary in the coalmine, that has everyone afraid they'll miss his silence until death catches up with them. no one knows anything, and it is only human nature to be afraid of the unknown)

somehow, canary is able to thwart almost any plan aimed at him. this makes him all the more terrifying. after all, the man seems to know their every move. is he a traitor? does he have access to their plans their bases, their identies? even the villains are unnerved. after all, they haven't exactly escaped unscathed either. sometimes, canary is gunning for them explicitly and many a villain has lost a base or two to the man

(the small listening devices planted in bags, within gifted potted plants, wherever, are too small to be discovered unless one is looking very, very carefully. but why would they? it's just a gift from jimmy. lovely, sweet, harmless jimmy).

and the heroes about to plan a big bust of canary's base? well they've come down with a little bit of food poisoning or smth. nothing too harsh, just enough for them to be taken out of the field. just enough time for canary to catch wind and pack up and move before anyone can prevent it. big villainous plan going up in literal flames that not only steals Ur thunder but leaves u on bed rest bc of the burns? at least jimmy gives out free stuff and a hug when ur down

(and Jimmy loves his friends, cares for them a lot. but he is a survivor and will do anything to make sure he never has to feel powerless, to feel like he is less than anyone or anything. he loves his friends but he knows they see him as less, as an outsider, as weak. as a thing that needs to be protected, rather than protected against. so the addicting rush of adrenaline from pulling of a heist, destroying a whole street, from leaving a trail of blood in his wake whenever he's feeling particularly villainous is made so much sweeter when it's done right under their noses

it's a wonderful feeling, testing the limits of your power when no one, not even you, knows where they lie - especially when they're terrified to find out how far you're willing to go)

rubber duck method! I can't wait to see this

Yes. 100 hundred percent yes.

Its just Jimmy! He would never hurt them :)

[revive-the-fandom]

favorite rotg theory?

I honestly forgot most of the theories bc I disagree with most of them tbh. imo most fan theories tend to overcomplicate or villainise/de-villianise characters while completely missing the point.

but this is a positive question so i'll try my best lmao

I think my favourite is probably that Jack lost his memories not because of the Man in the Moon, but because he died. Whether that be because of a resurrection, or because of trauma induced amnesia.

Although, tbh, my personal (related) theory is that Jack never even died in the first place. If we look at his first scene, we can see him let out a breath as soon as he leaves the water

if he'd died of drowing, he'd have to cough up all the water he'd inhaled, or at least not have anything breath left to exhale.

(also, interesting that his breath in this scene is always misty, like its warm. and is like that for multiple breaths, so not necessarily "the last warm breath he had left in him" since he's continuously exhaling warmth. which also implies that Jack is warm-blooded, not cold or undead, but alive.

I'm realising now that I have a lot of theories... idk man, it's kinda hard to pick a favourite when you could debate every point with the same enthusiasm.)

then compare this scene to his memory of falling through the ice

it's so quick for a drowning, which are notoriously fast. Google suggests it takes 3 minutes to drown, which this is well under.

and yes, this is possibly just a cinematic verison of events, sped up for the viewers sakes.

however, what if it's not. what if Jack entered the water, the Man in the Moon saw it, knew that no one in this time period was going to be able to save him, and just sort of put him on pause. suspended animation, if you will, so that he had time to save him as best he could.

This theory is also part of my "the Man in the Moon did nothing wrong" movement.

What evidence do we have that the Man in the Moon has enough power to do anything more than he already does? What evidence do we have that the Man in the Moon didn't drain his powers saving Jack?

The only time in the entire movie that we know he actually, audibly spoke to anyone on Earth was the very beginning where Jack says he told him his name. And even that wasn't audible to the audience! Only Jack heard that, so potentially he could be restricted by any number of things - only being able to speak through mental connections, only to his "creations" or "beneficiaries", only through abstract thoughts.

If we throw GoC into the mix

(which nobody has to, but I like to. I've been vagued before about forcing other people to accept GoC as canon, but I'm not trying to do that and never was. I just like it and want to use it as my canon.)

then we can play with the timeline a little, as GoC canonincally happens "some decades" before the steam train is invented: The steam train is invented in 1784 so GoC probably takes place in around the 1740s.

Jack is 300 ish in 2012, so his "birthday" is probably around 1712. So he was around well before the Guardians even existed (or, well, the group was formed at least. GoC Manny, Bunny and Sandy are millenia old, North is in his twenties/thirties probably and Tooth is a bit of a mystery, so..).

Which means that the Man in the Moon resurrected Jack before Pitch was even woken by Nightlight, and he was presumed dead.

The Man in the Moon only ever communicates through specific mirrors (actually I think they were gongs but basically it functions like a window) in GoC, except for book 5 where they physically go to the moon - but book 5 is weird and breaks the RotG canon so I don't count it - which also lends itself to this theory that the Man in the Moon expended his power resource before GoC. So he couldn't talk to Jack more than he had. Jack would have needed to go find one of these mirrors (one is in the Lunar Lamadry in the Himalayas, I believe on top of Mt Everest????).

GoC also sets the Man in the Moon up to be kind but incredibly distant and unsocialised. He was raised on the moon by his parent's robot servants and only interacted with Earth through their technology. To him being alone is just his normal, so he probably doesn't see Jack's isolation as a that big of a deal.

anyway, sorry that got a bit out of hand. Here are some honorable mentions for theories that I like:

Jack is descended from Katherine and Nightlight (yes this breaks the GoC/RotG canon I just established - this would have to be a different timeline to that)

Jamie is descended from Jack's Sister

Jack's Sister is named Mary (technically confirmed to be true by Joyce - I like the nickname Molly for Mary)

Baby Tooth was granted free will by Jack naming her & will develop & grow more now that she's no longer a part of the collective (I think this originated with @drowningostrich but I'm not sure)

Mother Nature is friends with all nature/element/seasonal spirits including Jack and Bunny

There's a fuck ton of other spirits out there who have their own society that Jack was just largely on the outskirts of (not necessarily an outcast, but more like a forgotten aspect)

[siren-nate]

An analysis of the Dark Lord through their relationship with Chosen

I see a lot of people say that Dark shouldn't be brought back in Season 3, because them getting a redemption arc would be hard to take seriously or be straight-up out of character. Unlike Purple, King, Victim, and Chosen, they don't have any underlying reason for their evil - no revenge plan, no person they're trying to win the approval of, they're just a murderous supervillain because it's fun.

I disagree. First of all, since when is not having an underlying reason for evil a reason that a character can't be redeemed? Alan didn't have a reason to torment Victim, but he's still considered a good guy because he realized his creations are truly alive and started empathizing with them and treating them better. Chosen didn't have a reason to rampage across the internet for so long, but he's still considered a good guy because he had a change of heart and tried to clean up the mess left behind by his friendship with Dark. So why is Dark different?

As a quick disclaimer: I'm not going to try and justify anything Dark has ever done in this. They're an unrepentant monster who does definitely enjoy causing chaos, destruction, pain, and death. The only thing I'm arguing is that they're more complex than the pure-evil-for-the-fun-of-it supervillain that the fandom tends to paint them as.

Let's go by timeline. First of all, I think it's interesting that Dark is the only hollowhead who didn't immediately have a negative relationship with Alan. Victim looked around in confusion and fear even before Alan started screwing with them, Chosen went on the offensive instantly, and Second tried to keep her existence hidden because of her well-founded fear of deletion.

By contrast, Dark seems to just look around and then start doing stretches while Alan is coding up his purpose, one that he takes to like a fish to water.

I've talked before about how I think Alan's mindset in the moment he makes a hollowhead defines their core character and nature, and I think this is further proof of it. The only stick figure that he purposefully brought to life, but doesn't have any negative intentions for, instinctively understands him to be an ally.

One thing that I think goes overlooked is that Dark is a bit of a paper tiger. Despite being one of the most powerful and dangerous characters in the entire series, they're a lot less fearless than Chosen is. They not only plead for their life when Chosen has them dead-to-rights, they almost curl up in the fetal position and tremble.

They also panic when the computer starts going down, unlike Chosen who stays focused and immediately figures out an escape route.

Thus begins their combined rampage across the internet. Again, I'm not going to try and justify this - I think Dark was made to be a weapon, but he also clearly enjoys being a weapon. But there was one small thing in episode 11 that had me thinking.

Previously, we were led to believe that Chosen just never showed any signs of his growing discomfort to Dark, that him stopping them from launching Virabot was the first time he ever showed any sign of it. But now, we know that he did show signs prior - or at least, that he had Dark's attention when he was unintentionally showing signs.

I don't think it's impossible that Dark just brushed this off and thought nothing of it, but what if they did notice? What if they saw Chosen's lack of enthusiasm compared to how he used to be, and started thinking about it? Keep that in mind as we move further.

Now we get to the big scene. The confrontation.

What I find notable about the falling out between Chosen and Dark is how still they both are. We've seen plenty of examples of stick figures communicating across the series - even when they don't make little pictographs (and who knows if those are actually diegetic or not), they gesture pretty extravagantly and use a ton of body language to get across to the viewer that a conversation is happening.

This? Nothing. Chosen grabs their hand, shakes his head, shoves them away, and then throws them when they don't get the hint before trying to figure out how to shut off the cannon.

There's nothing to indicate Chosen's explaining his reasons here. In fact, if he isn't explaining anything and is just saying they shouldn't do this, that makes Dark's reaction a lot more understandable; they don't get why Chosen is having this reaction, so it seems obstinate and out of nowhere.

I'm not saying this is Chosen's fault - he's in the middle of his crisis of conscience, and Dark still massively overreacted. But I think it's worth noting that he seems to just not be the best at communication in general. Remember how he completely failed to get across why he thought Second had powers and resorted to just grabbing her and running when he needed her help against the mercs? Same deal as this!

We all know what comes after. They briefly fight, Dark launches the Virabot, Chosen punches them into the distance. I think what's REALLY interesting is their next meeting.

Reminder, the last time that these two saw each other, Chosen punched Dark so hard they went flying. But when he opens the door and steps in, posture neutral?

Dark is the same. They seem a little put off, maybe, but the punch that comes after takes them completely by surprise.

Despite Chosen being in plain view and them being equals in speed and combat skill, Dark doesn't even react to the punch until right before it sends them flying.

In fact, they STILL only BARELY react to the punch that came after, blocking it at the last moment rather than parrying or countering. And when it sends them flying all over again, there's this moment where they're hanging on the edge of bay, staring at Chosen - like they're stunned. They're in pure shock over what he's doing.

When they finally do counterattack with that massive explosive fireball, they pause afterwards, staring at the explosion and then just kind of... standing there.

Staring at the explosion, sure, they could have just been making sure Chosen was actually dead or incapacitated. But staring off into nothing? It feels, at least to me, like they're thinking hard about what they just did. Even if they're not necessarily upset, they're at least unsure.

All of this is to say one thing: despite their last interaction going so sour, Dark genuinely didn't expect Chosen to get violent. They seemed at most a little surprised to see him enter the computer shack, and it takes two massive, earth-shaking punches for it to finally sink in and for them to hit back.

It might seem like Dark is just an idiot for not expecting "throwing an explosive fireball at my one and only friend in a fit of anger" to not have immediate consequences, but then again - have you seen the way Dark and Chosen treat other people?

Compared to the horrific things they did in their rampage, Dark genuinely thought that the fight they and Chosen had wasn't a big deal. They understood there would be sore feelings, but they didn't at all realize that Chosen considered that the end of their friendship - that the moment he found Dark again, he would be immediately fighting with intent to kill or grievously incapacitate.

I think it's also worth noting that throughout the fight, Dark doesn't seem to be having any fun. We know that they love to cause violence and kill, and they do show some of their usual hammy mannerisms when they taunt Alan, specifically.

But when it's just them and Chosen? Nothing. Just cold, calculated execution. And yet, they don't take out the disintegrating wristblade unless he's actively fighting back - once they have him at their mercy, completely defeated with nobody else to interrupt, they don't finish the job. They don't even attempt to. They seem like they're about to attack before Second interrupts, but it's bare-handed - then they take out the blade to make quick work of the color gang, and after that, they just leave Chosen alive.

Finally, there's the wristbands themselves. Thanks to my friend @ellielectric pointing something out about them when I showed the series to her, they're the keystone to this whole thing. Most people I've seen talk about them assume that Dark either A) just wanted to be a more efficient killing machine or B) anticipated a fight with Chosen at some point and made them "just in case". In both of these options, Dark made them because they viewed Chosen as more powerful or dangerous than them - but I think there's another possibility.

It's notable that the wristband becomes wristbands, plural, midway through the fight - but it's even more notable that this seems to be unnecessary for their function.

You'd think "they need two wristbands for dual-wielding", but here they are manifesting both swords with only one. It's only later on that the wristband duplicates.

And, really - why did the wristband need to make Dark so ridiculously strong? It lets them utterly humiliate Chosen, far more than just being assured they could defeat him. And even if they expected their friendship with Chosen to go south, there's no way they would have anticipated having to fight him and Alan at the same time. And yet, just by putting it on, Dark becomes an equal threat to both of them working together.

"Did they need a reason to not make it so strong?" No, but they needed a reason to make it in the first place - they seemed perfectly content just with their usual pyrokinesis for four straight years of rampaging, if not longer. So what changed?

Chosen changed.

Dark has literally only known destruction. It's what they were made for, and it's all they did either for or with the only two allies they've ever had. Chosen was just as gung-ho about it for years... until he suddenly started showing less enthusiasm. Dark clearly didn't understand he was having second thoughts about morality, but if they did notice, what did they think?

They thought Chosen was getting bored.

They thought all of the destruction and chaos was getting too similar for his liking. They thought he would want an improvement. Dark made the Virabots specifically to impress Chosen, the one who had walked this path of carnage with them for so long.

Why did the wristbands make Dark so strong? Why were they designed to duplicate even if it was unnecessary?

One of them was meant for Chosen. Dark never intended to wear both of them.

[folatefangirl]

You rang? Okay I'm not going to put absolutely every one I can think of but starting with the ones I've actually finished:

Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer: One of the best writing advice inspiration books I've ever read. It's also filled to the brim with cool art and diagrams and excerpts and I love them so much. I always pick this one back up when I'm dealing with a really bad block. 5/5 stars, absolutely amazing and weird and a great way to shake the brain out of habits that aren't working anymore, though as with all art/writing advice books, YMMV and all that.

The Man Who Played With Fire by Jan Stocklassa: Absolutely absorbing read about a true crime case more people should know about imo. So most of us know of the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, right? Those books were published posthumously and so most people don't know that Stieg Larsson's true passion was connecting the strings of white supremacy among Nazis and Nazi sympathizers in Scandinavia who had escaped justice after WWII. It was a personal project for him. He ended up connecting this to the assassination of Olof Palme and investigating who might have done it. It's a really fascinating read and I highly recommend.

Dreamland by Sam Quinones: Goes in-depth into the pharma aspects of opioid use disorder and the epidemic that was perpetuated by capitalism and systemic failures within US Healthcare and safety networks for our communities, the money and marketing involved, and how it especially targeted American youth through avenues such as sports medicine and so on. It's really horrifying re: how much it exploits people at the bottom to prop up the people at the top.

Night by Elie Wiesel: Memoir of the author's experience during the Holocaust. Easily one of the greatest and shortest books that I will never read again because of what is in it, but I recommend to everyone at least once. It is beautiful and haunting. Note the author has other books in this memoir series that address his recovery i.e. this is the darkest one and has the content that is hardest to stomach, so you might feel better after this rec if you also read the others.

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee: Really good nonfiction book on cancer that is definitely in accessible language to folks who aren't in medicine as well. It also goes into the industrialization of cancer medicine and how certain businesses knew things were causing cancer (tobacco) and still pushed their products as good and healthy. Very well-written!

The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman: Barbara Tuchman was one of the first female historians ever widely recognized for her work, and she really deserves it for her ability to write about history and actually make it interesting (I still need to read one of her medieval history books lol). Anyway, this books covers roughly the first few months of WWI in a really detailed and well-written way and discusses aspects of the war in a way probably no history class ever discussed. Like yes, we know it was horrible and used trench warfare and chemical warfare but why was it between the countries it was with and also why did they end up in such horrific circumstances? Barbara covers that. (And also, we still very much use chemical warfare today, despite it being a crime against humanity. So worthwhile to read a book about the reasons why we consider it such a crime, imo.)

The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan: Also comes as a documentary if you'd prefer that format! It's a really good book about the reciprocal relationship between humans and what we grow and focuses on four plants: apples, tulips, potatoes, and cannabis. Pollan's central thesis is that plants influence us as much as we influence them. Anyway, as a certified plant-lover, I really enjoyed reading this from start to finish.

Good nonfiction references:

The Flavor Bible by Andrew Dornenburg: Excellent reference for any cook who enjoys improv and/or is short on ingredients and so is forced to improv. Basically lets you look up any ingredient and see what flavors and ingredients pair with it best.

The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth: Another great writing reference and repository of writing advice for any writer. Essentially details every rhetorical device/means of making figurative speech in an index with examples.

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes: Excellent resource for anyone writing a romance novel or long-form shipping fanfiction re: how to effectively plot a romance novel and have it hit all the elements and beats that you'd like to include in it.

Honorable mentions I have yet to finish but know are good:

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (specifically, I've heard this book goes into some true crime aspects and specifically FBI investigation procedures that the movie didn't emphasize as much since the movie rightfully wanted to feature more of the Osage cast and culture, rather than make a spectacle of their dead, which is very fair imo)

CALLING ALL READERS I really want to get more into nonfiction books and would love some recommendations.

Nonfiction books I loved include:

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (loved the firsthand account and humor)

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green (loved the philosophical moments)

Poisoner in Chief by Stephen Kinzer (fascinated by the horror)

Into the Planet by Jill Heinerth (fascinated by the firsthand account and horror)

Please let me know where to go from here!

[wodimewoahtime]

hey till...... don't you have just a little too much tsundere "i'm not gay" yaoi protag power???? why are you attracting these guys like a hamster to the shredder

[nattikay]

the constant inner struggle of a Na'vi speaker/teacher browsing Na'vi OCs

[raindrops-on-concrete]

everyone in tgcf sure give Hua Cheng a lot of shit for being a crazy fanatic but if I was random little boy and a prince saved my life and then became a god and then beat up my bullies and gave me food and an umbrella and then verbally answered my prayer even tho he didn't show himself to anyone else and then when he did show himself to everyone he complimented my fighting skills and told me a saber would suit my fighting style better than a sword, I think I'd become obsessed as well

frankly, it takes a lot less to become a religious fanatic

additionally, he was a teenager when he died, and we all know how teenagers get about things they're interested in. teenage fanboys and fangirls fall down to their knees in worship when their favourite singer so much as glances in their direction at a concert. I've seen teens build entire shrines for their favourite celebrities in their bedroom even tho that celebrity hasn't the faintest awareness of their existence.

[kiera-raelyn]

Huh. That is really interesting and not something I noticed before.

I'm not sure how much I like it, at least on Draco's part. He has no reason to call his father "dad", and I don't feel like he would use the term even at his most emotional. We have no indication that he ever called Lucius "dad," and indeed, given his status, it seems a stretch. He could only have picked it up from school, but given that the use of "father" is an indication of class, he would be unlikely to lower himself that way. I'm more inclined to think this was JK dropping the ball on characterization again than to accept it as an intentional character development point.

Back to Percy, though. As we can see, he spoke formally even before he left school. I'm not sure that he ramped up his use of "Father" so much as we just saw them interacting more as the books progressed. We can tie his formal use of language to his ambition, and I agree that he's looked down on for it, but.

I kind of see Percy as autistic, honestly, and his formal language as an extension of that. Now, obviously, this is just my interpretation of him. But I feel like there's a decent amount of evidence to support it as a headcanon: his obsession with rules and abiding by them (himself and others), his excellence in school, his reading habit, his difficulty with emotional nuance and subtlety. There may be more, that's just off the top of my head. It's my experience that people who read a lot as kids tend to speak more formally, at least for a time.

From the perspective of this hc, I guess I'm not a big fan of Percy's use of "dad," either. At least, not if we go with your interpretation that it's an indication of character growth. I just take issue with the idea that "father" is always, by its very nature, indicative of less close/deep feelings than "dad."

Not that I'm saying that's your interpretation. You're actually probably spot-on with your observations. I'm arguing more with the author here than you. Frankly, I'm not sure how coherent that argument even is. I've got a headache that's making it difficult to think. Please don't take anything I've said here personally or as an attack - it's not meant that way. I am impressed with your observation and the opportunity for thinking more on these characters that it gave me!

One thing I noticed only recently is that the way Percy calls his father and how it's an indication of his storyline's progress throughout the books. Percy's whole character arc is about how he's doing ambition wrong; there's this undercurrent of judgement towards Percy's desire to be an accomplished professional and i think his language reflects that.

Percy has had a very formal way of speaking since the very first book, it's one of the main indicators that we're supposed to read him as a pompous party pooper, but we don't see him address his father until book 3, when jkr starts setting up the ministry plot:

(from PoA: Percy enjoys the treatment Arthur is getting from the ministry, foreshadowing his interest in climbing up the ministerial ladder)

I find the use of the word "Father" interesting: the most notable person we see use the term in the books is Draco, who is very much posh-coded.

(from PS, one of the very first things we come to know about Draco is how he addresses his father: this is a scene from Harry and Draco's first meeting)

A not insignificant facet Draco's personality comes from how his elevated status in society has shaped him to be arrogant and dismissive of other people. Draco speaks like a Fancy Boy, with his "Father"s (always capitalised) and his insistence on calling most people (even his friends and housemates) by their last name.

Seeing Percy start to use the type of language we've been accustomed to see from posh boy extraordinaire Draco is jarring, and it primes us to start disliking him. As Percy's brief foray into the Evil side begins (basically From GoF onwards) Percy starts ramping up in his use of "Father":

and

and

but, at the culmination of his story arc, when Percy is reunited with his family during the battle of Hogwarts, Percy switches to "dad":

This, again, mirrors Draco in that he also changes the way he addresses his father when he's at his most emotional

and I find this very interesting.

[mochindayo]

Oh, So much cat fur || L/A/DS Z/ayne x MC

I made an ao3 a bit ago. I've been a lurker on there since...idk...years, but. I'm going to uhh...i think post fics there too haha. may or may not see some crossposting. i'm being wild and it's also going to have regular fics (haha, that is if i decide i'm writing in the first place xD) there's one snz fic and one vanilla fic right now lol. Am i nervous? sure, but like- also i've lost it, idk. here we are. anyways. I'm so into LADS rn. here we are. i want to write more, but i always say that, write one thing, and disappear for another 5 months. maybe i'll change, who knows. I’m taking advantage of my motivation while I’ve got it rn

the portal, to...a fic in my ao3 lol. but i'll also put the fic here under the cut...because..why not?

Zayne, sneezing, because little kitty Zayne is choking on his own fur!!?? HUH!? OK SIR!?

======================

Zayne was always a neat and orderly person. It irked him that he was the cause of the copious amount of cat hair that was beginning to collect–on him and his furniture. 

Ever since the bizarre event that had left him with cat ears and a long, fluffy tail, he had been doing his best to maintain his cleanliness. This was lasting longer than he had wistfully hoped. 

He was shedding everywhere. 

The elegant strands of his midnight fur that adorned his cat features had begun piling up, turning his couch and sheets a grayish hue. He practically ate cat hair with every meal now. If anyone had a pet that shed, they would understand. 

Zayne had decided in order to lessen the amount of shed fur, he would brush his ears and tail three times a day. It was just about time to start his midday grooming session. He figured there should be enough time before you came over for lunch. 

Oftentimes, if you spent the evening with him–whether it was in his office or in his apartment–he would let you brush him. It was soothing. He would just melt into your touch. 

He got to work, grabbing his brush and finding a comfy space on the wood floors. 

How long has it been since he’s vacuumed? He admitted to himself, he had begun to slack on the cleaning. It had gotten exhausting keeping up with the amounts of sweeping he had to do everyday and becoming a cat has made him more prone to naps these days. Therefore, his floors were gaining quite the collection of cat fur. 

Zayne sighed slightly as he settled onto the floor in a cross legged position. However, no matter how gentle he sat down, it  hadn’t stopped him from stirring up the stray strands of fur into the air. He started on his 

With the precise motions of a surgeon, he ran the brush over his ears first. An attempt to ensure that each motion was controlled as to not let too much cat fur fly. The feeling was pleasant, he almost purred. 

Strands of his soft black fur detached from the brush, regardless of his attempts, drifting lazily through the air. 

He watched them float.

A small sigh left his lips. No matter how careful he was, the fur would go wherever it felt. The sun’s rays illuminated the fur flying through the air, accentuating how they floated gently before landing on his clothes, his floor–his face.

He gave a frustrated exhale from his nose, blowing the cat furs away from his nostrils. Then, he moved on to brushing his tail. He wasn’t a big fan of brushing his tail. It was a human scaled version of a maine coone’s tail, those of which were already long and fluffy. He swiftly moved the brush through his tail. Unlike his ears, this took more effort and these strands were more prone to flying wherever they felt like. 

More and more fur lifted into the air, curling in invisible trails around him. It was like a mini cloud of cat fur always hung around him. 

That’s when he felt it. 

A faint, miniscule tickle on the tip of his nose. It was hardly worth acknowledging at first. Just a light sensation that teased the edges of his sinuses. His nostrils gave a tiny twitch, and then nothing.

Zayne continued brushing, doing his best not to acknowledge any sensations on his face. This of course, scattered more fur into the air around him. Not that it could be helped. Still, he refused to give into the growing irritation, or acknowledge the way his breath had begun to catch. He was still in control. He could do this. 

He finally made it to the ends of his tail. The fullest, most luxurious part. It was beautiful, yet he cursed it. Although, you personally loved when he let you run your hands through it. He gave a few generous strokes, running the bristles through the fur with precision. 

More and more fur detached, swirled through the air, landing everywhere. 

His breath hitched. The tickle was beginning to settle in the back of his nose as he continued. He gave a particularly harsh tug on his next stroke as a knot had nestled itself deep in his fur. Big mistake on his end. A small plume of fur flew up into the air, curling directly into his face. He could feel each ticklish strand land on, around, and in his nose. The teased and tickled as he shakily inhaled. 

“No, no, n-nhh…I d-don’t– don’t need to snihHh–sneeze–” 

His nostrils flared, protesting the cat fur that tickled his nose. His breath hitched and stuttered, chest heaving. Fighting a losing battle, he finally raised his hand up to his nose. He wasn’t allergic to cat hairs, but his nose was quite sensitive to the touch. 

At last, his breath caught.

“Hhh–hh’Tscht!” He pinched the first sneeze off behind his fingers. It was refined and quiet, yet it did not relieve him from the tickle that plagued his nose. Before he had time to think, his nose protested once again, and suddenly once became six times.

“Heh-’Tcht! –eH’Tcht! N–tchtt! ‘Tch! ‘Tch! ‘tchhh!” Zayne wasn’t going to stop anytime soon if he didn’t release his nose to expel the cat fur, but habits kept him from doing so. “ahH–...s-so tickly..s-stuhHh’tcht!! ehH’Tcht! S-stupid cat f-fur’TCHT! ehH–’Tcht!” 

Each sneeze–albeit quite–harshly jerked his body and shook more cat fur into the air.

“Sh-hiH-iHt’Tgxt’ch! ah–Tchtt! hihH–heh’Tchht!” 

His body repeatedly betrayed him as his nose gave in to the itch–even as he fought to suppress them. Somewhere in the midst, he heard his door unlock. ‘Oh no, they’re here already. How long hahH– has it b-been?’ With all the commotion from his nose he had forgotten you were coming over. 

Soon, he heard the sound of your feet headed in his direction.

“Zayne? Are you… wh-what happened to you?” You tried to cover up your amusement by coughing to hide your laughter. Zayne tried his best to glare at you through his bleary eyes.

“T-too muhh’Tchh! hehH’TChh! Toomuchcatfur ahH–’TChh!!!” He stuttered out through the sneezes. “Hehh…I-I can’t s-stohH–p…”.

“Do you maybe think, you should, perhaps, take your hand off your nose? Stop stifling mayhaps? Or would you rather forever trap those tickly–”

“hehH–eH’DTZsh’iiihh!!” Even the mere word tickly made his nose burst. At least he finally let himself release the sneezes freely, “ahEhH’DZSH–iihhh!! eHEH’DSZHIew! heh’DZSH–IIHH–…hhh..”.

You clicked your tongue in feigned disappointment, “Kitty Zayne choking on his own fur?”

His ears flattened as he sniffled the mess back, rosy cheeks gave away his embarrassment. You gave him a cheeky smile as you pulled some tissues out of your back pocket. You held them out, nudging them towards his face as he still glared (lovingly) at you.

“This is n-not amuHh…amusing…hh…hH’iHhh–’Tschhh!” He sneezed again and hastily grabbed for the tissues. He blew his nose harshly in an attempt to evict any stray cat fur left in his nose. 

“Well, I found it quite amusing,” You giggled as you plopped down on the floor right in front of him, “though you had me worried for a moment there when you wouldn’t open your door or respond to your phone.”

He looked back at you above the tissues as he examined the expression on your face. A look of both amusement and relief. 

“I did…not mean to worry you. Apologies, my dear,” He sighed, his lips twitched into a small smile. 

“It’s no worries! The scene I walked into made up for it. Imagine, me walking in, worried, just to find you sitting on the floor, sneezing your head off, surrounded by a cloud of your own fur–”

“OhH–no wh–y–heH’TSCHHH! eH’Tschh! eH’Tch! ‘tch–’tch–’tch…heh…haHh–e’Tschhhh! Why did you have to mention it again?” He once again blew his nose into the tissues. Though they were quite wet by now. You threw your head back, cackling.

“I’m sorry, Zayne!! I didn’t realize you were so suggestible!” Regardless of his embarrassment, your laughter was still music to his ears. 

“Mhm…what will I ever do with you, hm?” He let out an amused sigh. 

“Why don’t we settle onto the couch instead of going out today? Now seems like a perfect time for an afternoon nap, yeah?” You beamed as you reached to scratch his ears. Miraculously, your hand made it to his ears before he could stop you. He let out a small pur, which in turn caused his cheeks to turn a deeper shade of red.

“S-sounds good to me,” he finally replied after he let you scritch behind his ears. You knew he enjoyed that spot. You hummed happily and helped him up from the floor. Zayne followed without protest, unable to stop the small purrs that escaped his throat.

Moments later, the two of you were nestled together on his plush sofa. Zayne’s breaths were slow and steady, though a faint sniffle escaped him now and then. The sneezing had finally eased, leaving his little cat-self drowsy. His tail curled lazily over your legs and with each soft exhale, his ears would give a tiny flick. He was the first to doze off, with you not too far behind.

[loverboybrightsideghost]

one of my favorite clark headcanons that i have (that is completely unsupported by canon) is that he's transgender by kryptonian standards. martha and jon kent raised him as a boy and as he grew up he never had any reason to doubt it at all, he was like yeah i'm a boy, makes sense. and then he gets to the fortress of solitude for the first time and it turns out how Gender works on krypton was just Different enough that clark doesn't really fit the kryptonian standards of whatever he was supposed to be. bonus points because this makes him feel like even more of an outsider as a kryptonian, even if he's the last one left.

[bumblingbabooshka]

[Tuvok & Janeway: Control, Distance, Duty & Connection.] Sources: St Voyager Transcripts / Mitski 'First Love Late Spring' / Disco Elysium