#idk... prolonging the 'argument'

[npcdeath]

autism is all fun and games until it causes unbridgeable communication rifts between you and all the people in your life who understand intellectually why you come across as rude, forceful or dismissive unintentionally but still struggle to marry that intellectual understanding to day to day life and become resentful of you because of it

[crystalis]

when my grandma was staying here i learned that my dad hates his side of the family and theyre kinsa crazy

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Aita for sending two final message to a guy who is ghosting me?

I have submitted something here about the same person a while ago (like last August).

I (21f) had a friend (22m) last year who, due to a series of miscommunications, thought that we were dating when that had never been established. The gist is that we met on tinder and kissed on a night out, but no conversations were ever had about actually dating. Because we'd met on a dating app and I'd kissed him he thought we were dating, I did not think that because we never discussed dating. It was stupid. I kissed someone else on a different night out - because I was single I didn't even think about it - and he was very upset. I know I should have communicated better. I was in the mindset of "if he wanted to, he would, we talk all the time." I get now that other people won't take the initiative so you've got to do it yourself.

There was a whole thing, we were staying friends, then months after he blew up at me out of the blue, accused me of trying to "psyche him out before exams" because i wished him good luck. He apologised for that. Over the summer he came to me with super personal traumas and I tried to help him through it. We'd met up a few times at the beginning of this academic year for coffee. We had another series of miscommunications because he thought I was mad at him when I wasn't and drew me into a 3 hour argument about whether I was mad. This wasn't a great relationship, I know that.

We were mid conversation in November and he just stopped replying. Zilch. Nothing. I know he's still alive cos he's been posting Instagram stories, but he's just not replying to me. I left it cos fuck him if he wants to play like that. by Christmas though I was a bit worried about him, so I texted him "Hey, I hope you're doing okay. Merry Christmas" on the 20th Dec. No reply. I left it. On New Year's day, I texted him "Hey, happy new year. If I've done something to upset you, I am really sorry. Hope you're well". I've sent nothing since.

I think I may be TA because he clearly does not want to talk to me and I don't want to harass him. I also think I may be TA to myself because this friendship is awful and I'm prolonging it like this.

However, I may not be TA because I think it's pretty normal to want to check up if someone is okay if they just stop replying mid conversation like that.

Idk

What are these acronyms?

[eliteseven]

idk if you’ve talked about this before but what was tav’s and shadowheart’s second kiss like? we all know how the first one played out because we all have that lovely waterfall date but i’m really intrigued as to how their second kiss would happened!

your tav and shadowheart are just so sweet ❤️

🥹 thank you!! I’m so happy you’re enjoying their story. Good question!!

I think it would follow that date and probably just happen naturally, because they’re already so attracted to each other.

Shadowheart still isn’t big on letting the camp see them together in any capacity. But healing is a good excuse to visit Tav’s tent.

She probably settles in there for a moment to close some of Tav’s wounds from a recent battle. Knelt in front of Tav, who’s also sitting cross legged, patiently holding her arm out for healing. When Shadowheart finishes, she doesn’t let go immediately. She traces her fingertips up Tav’s inner arm- she just wants to prolong the contact. Tav thanks her by way of a forehead kiss. Soft, intimate, the only way she can think to say thank you in that moment.

Shadowheart gasps quietly. She’s still not used to anyone being so tender with her. I think she looks up at Tav with wide eyes and steals a kiss. Gentle, sweet and just as innocent as Tav’s lips against her forehead. Their eye contact is charged, breathing picking up- even when they part. Tav rests her chin atop Shadowheart’s head. They hold each other- for a moment. Just a simple embrace.

And then Lae’zel storms in demanding to speak about the crèche and they jump apart. Shadowheart scowls at Tav after that, just to keep up appearances. Tav hides her smiles behind her sleeve and tries to focus on Lae’zel’s complaint.

….OR they’re mid verbal argument and Shadowheart just yanks her by the collar and shuts her up via kisses bc she’s just realized she can do that now. Plus she forgets why she was angry in the first place and she likes watching Tav’s scowl melt into a sheepish look of adoration.

Either way will do 😅

[wifetomegatron]

here's to peace ( and those who get in the way of it ) ( first aid / reader )

summary : first aid has dinner with your family for the first time. first contact au pairing : first aid (idw) / gn! reader fandom : transformers idw continuity, more than meets the eye rating : m for mature due to mentions of blood and cursing, generally safe for work (sfw!) warnings : human ignorance. mentions of blood. tags : rewatched the awkward family dinner scene in fleabag and i didn't realise how much i loved it. deeply inspired by that scene, if you're it familiar with it, go have a good laugh and see it. i tried to be funny. idk if it works though.

There's a moment when you were sure that the sinking, churning feeling in your stomach would actually rise and push bile out of your mouth. That the sudden awkwardness in the air, pulled taut by the prolonged silence, will snap and cause your eyes to roll back — fainting would be a great distraction to get you and your boyfriend out of this agonizing position: a formal dinner with your family. 

You've been putting it off for weeks, declining their calls and sneakily texting your sibling back with the brightness of the screen down to zero while First Aid dozes off next to you. Eventually, he confronted you about it —  of course , he would find out. Attentive, doting, First Aid, who would scrub the apartment spotless every Sunday until no speck of dust survived, would find out. The grenade was already in your hands, the pin in your mouth like an apricot seed — and nearly sparked an argument about how you were ashamed of him. You had to calm him down and explain that it wasn't him you were ashamed of. It was the fact that your family told everyone that you were  dating a car . ( " Unfortunately, I can't turn into anything at the moment.") And to think that it's been nearly a decade since first contact, and they still couldn't find anything wrong with calling him an android. To make matters worse, they were referring to the Samsung  tablet —

" Ahem."

You were pulled out of your thoughts, and he gave you a reassuring squeeze, trying to level his vocalizer even if he was sitting as stiff as a rock next to your father. 

" Thank you, for having me here."

And like a kid who threw a rock at a sleeping hive of bees, the table buzzed to life, unapologetic to the fact that they've been staring in stunned, shameless, silence ever since you both arrived in the restaurant — which was, you glanced at your watch, fifteen minutes ago.

" Are you sick, love?" Your stepmother asked him. First Aid looked in your direction, confused until she gestured ( fingers a little too close ) to his mask.

" Oh no... this is just how I...look like."

" Well you're not at the hospital anymore," She chuckled through her teeth, smile stiff and voice so chirpy they grate your ears, " You can, you know, take it off."

" No, it's fine" You interrupted, " It's not a big deal." 

The rest of the people were looking at the menu, brow knitted and deep in thought as if they weren't just choosing whether to get the lamb shank or the vegetarian option for the starters. Cowards.

" It's a bit rude to have the shades and the mask when you're inside." She insisted.

" It's ruder to impose stupid, ignorant customs onto others."

You had to grit your teeth to get the words out. There was a brief pause, and you had to trace the seams on First Aid's arm to calm yourself, focusing on how the light bounced off his armor. And as if slinking back into her cave, retracting her claws, she swallowed the sour look on her face as it flickered back to a faux grin — nose scrunched and teeth bared.

 " Oh silly me. I do apologize."

First Aid let out a shy chuckle, " It's fine I understand —"

" I didn't mean to assume you had a mouth or eyes for that matter. Biology under all that...must be different."

Your stomach dropped. You could have sworn something lagged inside First Aid.   

" It's so lovely to have you here, darling! " Your sibling pans in your direction and smiles, trying to salvage the shattered pieces of the atmosphere, considering that your stepmom had  brutally  whacked a sledgehammer through it. The night is young. You were hopeful. You can count on them to say something reasonable —

" Considering your dating history, I just want to say that it's so refreshing to see you dating someone who's...not human! Diversity in relationships, after all, is the spice of life. Love wins."

Nevermind.

Your father cleared his throat — choked on his wine was more like it. Your sibling's partner talked over them before you could interfere: " Hear, hear! Humans are more compatible with your kind anyway. We're too emotional and fickle-minded. Dating metal must be a real upgrade from your previous relationships. They don't come with the messy, human baggage."

" That's a stereotype," You snapped, lowering your voice once a few heads turned to look, " So you're saying he's incapable of expressing his emotions? Because he's not human?" 

" Now you're just putting words into my mouth. I never said —"

" Do you need anything ?" The needy waitress interrupted, hovering around your table every ten minutes. You wiped your face with both hands. A cluster of arms flew to order drinks. The cutlery was noisy against the table. A headache formed in the back of your skull, and all you could do was anchor yourself to First Aid's palm as they massaged the small of your back. It was too much. The waitress called you twice and you lifted your head to order vodka, and then she gives you a pretty smile and accidentally asks First Aid wine or champagne.

Fuck. It was too late.

When he said no, your sibling-in-law and his disgusting, lazy excuse of a mouth were quick to joke, " What, you're not gonna offer the guy some oil?"

Immediately, at the same time, your father and First Aid placed a hand on your shoulder. Fingers and servos brushed against one another to calm you down, but it turned awkward, and your father pulled back a little too quickly, looking at the ceiling while First Aid crumbled like a wounded puppy. You want to reassure him that your old man's just socially constipated, but you feel the air rush past your lungs. The room felt hot. If there was an invisible camera, tucked away into the corner of the room, you would've stared at it for the crew to stop rolling. It's a shame that life isn't as simple. Or cheesy. And there wasn't a laughing track to wash away the discomfort suffocating everyone like waves bubbling into foam against the shore.

And that was how you ended up in the washroom scrubbing the bloodstain off your clothes. Water splashed all over the sink and onto the floors as you wiped the red pouring down your mouth, your chin, and even your neck. There was talking outside, and you held back tears, remembering the nervous phone call First Aid had with Ratchet in the evening before you had left the house. He told everyone. Your sweet, sweet boy had asked his CMO a week before about getting off early on Friday to meet your family. He told Velocity. He told Ambulon. Hell, Rodimus knew. And whether out of formality for being his previous captain or out of a severe case of 'never knowing when to mind his business', he had phoned your place and wished him luck. 

There was a knock.

" Can I come in? "

You slowly turn to your lover, nodding and finally bursting into tears. He hugged you tight, and you clenched your eyes shut, too ashamed to look at him. He was so gentle it was almost painful. Blood stained his shoulders. You know he's itching to wipe it off. Yet he stood still, steadying your shoulders with both hands. If he understood you less, you would've apologisedBut it was a wordless exchange between the two of you. Always. Only when you've stopped withering did First Aid speak.

" That went well."

You scoffed, " They're idiots."

" But you love them. And you should continue to have dinner with them. Meet them. Talk to them."

You frowned. You don't even know what's going on out there. But from the marks on First Aid's servo, he must have patched up the bleeding, bruised (hopefully not broken ) nose you had given your sibling-in-law. And knowing him, probably also helped ease your father back on his feet after you had accidentally knocked him down amid your little scuffle.

" I'll even go with."

You shook your head incredulously, " Why would you ever want to repeat this?"

" Because they apologized." His tone was soft, quiet almost as he stroked your hair, " And I'm sure, this won't happen again."

" Be realistic."

" At least it won't at least end like this. I know it."

Sometimes loving First Aid was like looking directly into the sun. You can't help but look away, eyes sore and heart bloated with hope. He pulled his mask down and kissed the discomfort away, and for a brief moment, you almost forgot that you still had people outside.

" If it makes you feel better, your stepmom apologized first."

" Really?" You pulled away from him to search his expression, mildly impressed, " And she didn't follow it up with anything?"

" Well, she did say life in the berth — erm, bed room, must be so interesting when you've got so many cables to choose from. She said it must've been a letdown for me to find out you've only got one port."

" Oh, fuck me."

[marley-manson]

Xena season 4 finale(ish) post, warning for spoilers for certain mutuals who are currently watching the show, or anyone else.

FANTASTIC climax to Gabrielle's arc this season, good god. When she throws that fucking spear... chills. This is another contender for favourite Xena scene of all, it's so incredibly effective. The way these last few episodes have really hammered down Gabrielle's pacifism with her arguments with Amarice, her choice to let Brutus go instead of having him executed, her stupid powder and non-lethal fight shenanigans, the return of Eli in this episode - and it's all there just to make the moment where she picks up that spear as impactful as possible, and it works. Even her first kill and that fallout all the way back in season 3 now feels like it exists just to set up the emotional impact of this scene, it's that good.

And god the scene itself is amazing to watch. The way she mows down soldier after soldier as brutally and efficiently as possible, the way she visibly shifts from fighting to protect Xena to lashing out in frustrated rage as she realizes that escape is impossible, her lack of regret afterwards. The cheffest of kisses.

This episode was fantastic in other ways as well. I love that the show makes it clear that Xena only lost here because Callisto is a fucking cheater lmao. She would've killed Caesar when she intended to if Callisto hadn't intercepted her chakram, and she would've escaped the prison if Callisto hadn't broken her back. Caesar didn't defeat Xena, Callisto did, and only because Callisto has ghost magic going on. And that's very fitting too, because if it was just Xena vs Caesar it might've felt a little thin for an epic conclusion - but with true fan-beloved archnemesis Callisto involved, it feels appropriately impactful. Also love that Xena intended to just quietly assassinate Caesar lol. Circumstances are a little different than The Debt, since Caesar did declare his murderous intentions first, but the vibes are similar and I love them.

Also Caesar's sexualized vulnerability in this ep sure was a choice, but a good one imo - the sex nightmare (including a prolonged shot where they're positioned to mimic gender-reversed missionary) as well as Callisto getting handsy with him. And again like, idk exactly what the intent was here, but the vibes do feel like a call-back to his dubconny sexual encounter with Xena, and the fact (? taking their exchange in When Fates Collide into account, when Xena says she must've been his worst nightmare) that he was/is afraid of her. Idk, it adds a nicely complex layer to their interactions and mutual enmity, not quite undermining Xena's resentful hatred, but suggesting it's a two-way street, and for a good reason, especially with v traumatized Callisto drawing a parallel between the two of them in how Xena fucked them up. And given that they both simultaneously die by each others' hands-by-proxy in a pair of intercut scenes at the end, it does fit this story nicely. Both achieve a cathartic, and arguably deserved, vengeance.

Idk if I can say that was the intent definitively, I mean, the show also just has a hard-on for dominant women lol, it doesn't frame Xena as an actual rapist at any point, and it certainly hasn't made an impression on fans either based on the fact that I've like, never seen this dynamic between them discussed before. But Caesar waking up in terror after dreaming about Xena fucking and then stabbing him - in a context that suggests this is a recurring nightmare, given Caesar saying "dreams" plural and the fact that he hasn't even seen her recently - sure is a striking image to start us off with and contextualize Caesar's obsessive hatred, yk?

Oh man and finally I adore Callisto in this ep, and not just because she looks good with short hair lol. Also like, that shot when Xena and Gabrielle are being brought out to the crosses and she catches a snowflake on her tongue like a delighted child might be my favourite Callisto moment of all <333 And speaking of that moment, the direction and editing of this episode was also just amazing. Beautiful, many striking images, excellently paced.

Basically this was a nearly perfect episode, extremely satisfying and poignant and engaging and intriguing, and if it had actually been the end of the series it would've been a very fitting end. In some ways seasons 5 and 6 almost feel like bonus seasons lol, take them or leave them, with this as the true thematically resonant and emotionally satisfying ending.

[mamamittens]

Idk why, but I have this idea of “oh sweet child of mine” for both readers, aka Child and Adult reader, that they got a high fever and everyone is just fussy around them 😂 and somehow I found it cute and amused at the same time

God they'd all be insufferable about it. And child Reader would tolerate it better (I.E. be ignored for being a fussy kid that doesn't know what's good for them) than adult Reader.

They'd both have fever dreams about being late for work and having to be reassured that they won't get in trouble (whoever is reassuring mentally swears to punt the next marine they see EXTRA hard).

Marco would flaunt his perceived immunity to disease as a reason to constantly be by reader's side. The others having duties that can't be ignored or rejected off and on for one reason or another. Thatch has to cook (better BELIEVE they soup slaps hard for the poor baby) for the whole crew and can't risk getting sick. Ace runs super hot so unless reader is cold he can't cuddle all day. Whitebeard literally has an IV in all the time and probably is banned from babying his new baby (pulls out the Sad Old Man eyes but does NOT sway the nurses).

Whenever it's deemed they need fresh air, there's just a massive pallet on the main deck of soft blankets and pillows with a grumpy reader burrito wrapped inside. Occasionally screeching for freedom no one is willing to give. Usually they're hiding their laughter or patronizingly consoling them about it.

I also imagine there would be a... bit of a fight about feeding reader. It'll take the saddest eyes and the softest, stuffy-nosed request for a specific person to break the intense eye-contact-argument over who gets to feed reader soup. Whoever wins struts about like a ponce for a solid three hours over being 'the favorite'.

Lots of consolation cuddles over the miserable state of affairs and quiet bedtime stories (no matter the age, it's the thought that counts). Cold rags and medicine to alleviate the symptoms at their worst.

If the illness is really bad it turns into a sleepover, everyone quietly concerned about the reader and periodically checking on them in the night. Tucked between worried pirates that constantly brush their forehead or stroke their hair. Possibly a cuddle pile where reader sleeps on Marco's chest for the most of his healing abilities while getting their back rubbed to soothe the coughs.

When they finally recover it's time for more cuddles and prolonged hugs. They enjoyed taking care of the reader but prefer them happy and healthy. Best believe they're going to get more healthy food and encouraged workouts to keep them healthy after this.

[wildpeachfarm]

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. She falsely accused him of sexually assaulting her because he kissed her after prolonged period of flirting. In what way is her doing that okay or at all acceptable?

I really don't know anon I feel like we are missing a puzzle piece or something 😭 her argument was that there was no consent even though she admits she led him on and flirted with him many times before this but claimed she didn't think it would actually go anywhere. In her recent post on Twitter she also says he asked if she was okay and then left when she asked him to, so I'm not even sure what's going on

idk man this is so confusing😭😭😭 I don't even wanna dwell on it because I think this is going to be one of those situations where we never get answers.

[axeylotl]

thinking abt Jack and Roger's similarities. the ones I can think of are pretty superficial but I also think they're really compelling. for what, idk. not 100% sure they were intentional even. but

orange

black "eye" with white, rectangular "pupil"

(like, seriously. if you wanted to translate Jack into a phonehead you couldn't pick a better one than Roger's)

history of alcohol issues

springlocked by a bear suit, specifically

connections to dogs (Roger having had a dog isn't particularly special by DSaF standards, but it could say something that it was notable enough to be brought up.)

again, idk what its supposed to mean, if it was even intended in the first place. I just think about it a lot. blehhh

lotta wild speculation under cut

Maybe Roger's story was meant to peek into what Jack's could have been, had he not accepted or been offered fredbear's deal. Becoming a phone, alone and forgotten. Leaving behind little family, and the family that does remain never caring that he's gone. Burying himself in Freddy's to escape all his old mistakes (which, of course, is something Jack already does do throughout the series, DSaF 3 in particular)

the personalities are obviously very different, but the circumstances were so similar

(this next bit is flimsier, and I don't 100% believe it myself. maybe 30%-70%, depending on my mood)

then of course there's Jake, to complete the orange/purple dichotomy. If you want to go down the color symbolism route, you could make an argument that Jake's story is somehow an alternative angle/route to Dave's

though, tbh, I'm not nearly confident enough in my understanding of Jake or Dave's characters to draw any conclusions there atm, if there are any to be found. there might be something to say about Jake being the only phone we meet to have a child/connection to fatherhood as a concept

In this interpretation, Roger's nervous people-pleasing and Jake's abrasiveness would likely have been meant to do the same to Dave's dog-like loyalty and Jack's... all of it.

what I mean by "alternative angle" is that it's a distortion, almost. You take some of the same key reference points (being rude and standoffish / constantly putting other people before oneself) and put it in a different form (festered aggression taken out on anyone, cynical bitterness for those who cause & prolong your pain / being desperately & proactively devoted for fear of abandonment, being a quiet & malleable doormat for fear of punishment)

uh. dunno where Harry would fit into this take. if you're gonna draw parallels between Harry and any other character, it would be Dave, imo. 100%

again, I really don't think about Jack and Dave very much, so if any of this reading is fucky/stupid/other synonym for "this should've stayed in drafts" that's my bad. I'm lazy

[grimalkinmessor]

afofa 1 + 6 + 16 + 26

💚❤️

1. Describe their first date.

Ooo see now that's a tricky one! Because I don't really see them as the type of people who "date" in a traditional sense. Like,,,,they already live together? Spend all their time together? Dates are usually outings and given AFO's homicidal tendencies and his debilitating need to have Yoichi close at all times, I don't see any outings going well for them 😬

Their first date would probably be after Yoichi tried to rebel and All For One wanted to rekindle the romance between them—in the most horrifying way possible, of course. Like a meal surrounded by the corpses of those that opposed him. Yoichi probably can't even eat because he's so nauseous at the sight and smell and the conversation would be mostly arguments and reminiscing.

6. How do they make up/apologize after an argument?

They don't :D That shit festers and it festers because neither of them will admit that the other is right in any capacity, and they also refuse to address it because furthering the argument after it's "gone cold" would just prolong both their anger and misery. Better to ignore it and sneak around behind each other to try and fix whatever they think is wrong :)

16. Would they ever get matching tattoos? If yes, what would these look like?

Ahhh probably not actually. Which pains me to say as someone who loves tattoos and has several 😭 Idk I just don't think either of them would like the idea of tattoos, especially not one the other has a hand in picking?? Like the closest I can think is if they find someone that's okay working on underaged peeps and get their favorite quote from a book they read together, just for the novelty. But other than that I just don't see them doing anything like that :')

26. What sacrifices do they make for the other?

Well, in canon we see that All For One is willing to sacrifice material things for his brother—probably because he doesn't actually care about them beyond how they make other people perceive him—like clothes, shoes, and food. And Yoichi...well, Yoichi is willing to sacrifice his happiness and freedom. He's okay with never being fully happy as long as his brother is happy, and AFO is okay with never being truly full as long as his brother never goes hungry.

Which makes the vault all the more angsty, but still ✨

[the-owl-tree]

Mapleshade is an abusive parent thats my unpopular opinion

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

see i understand where all the pieces for this fit but in the context of clan society and oakstar exiling babies, it just....feels off to me, you know? one of those things where you can see the entire argument and the pieces from the text but it's not working for you. it is bad that mapleshade kind of rushed her kittens into the water and that's on her, but like idk....i gotta think on it. maybe it’s like, such a situational thing than a prolonged act that that’s why I can’t really get behind this.

just from a more personal angle, i always found the inclusion of the bridge to be the coward's way out for the writers so maybe that's why.

[errorscriber]

observing the camera angles in half (with brief analysis)

feeling very fucked up thinking about how Kazui's theatre has balcony viewings, or the reason why the creators chose this theatre as a metaphor for kazui's story.

like aside the fact from the obvious symbolism of how indifferent and indecisive kazui has felt towards his life, or how hes too analytical to a fault where he has no choice but to watch his life unfold, it's just kinda funny and sad that the other reason why is because they have a second floor with balcony viewings. of course!

in the latter half of Half (lol), where Kazui is mask-less, the camera puts a lot of emphasis towards the audience.

the sequence begins with kazui looking upwards to the audience. (you can tell the stage is at the back with the lines and the front having reddish blocks)

kazui turns away from the audience. hes moving as if hes in an argument or in a confrontation with someone. you can see the curves in the side of the room, and the railings next to it. i find this scene to be very notable out of the rest because this is one of the only scenes where we can see the balcony floors in its fullest view.

kazui goes to the front, bowing towards the audience. (again, you can see the lines at his back; that's the curtain/stage walls + before he goes down u can see the stage light at the ceiling) is he apologizing to someone? did he see something fall?

camera changes again. he looks aside police kazui (or the chair), looks at his hands, and then puts his arm up at the air, as if he wants to catch someone? he's staring and putting his arms out towards the balcony floor, as if someone was going to fall. his palms open, and then he grasps them tightly in this scene; did he manage to catch whatever he wanted to catch? is he begging for mercy? is he trying to catch his dreams?

was it futile? the shot of his face prolongs for a little while. we can see his eyes slant. whatever he wanted from up there, it seems like he failed to get what we wanted.

the stage scenes end with kazui bowing towards the chair, like he just finished explaining things, or probably wanting to apologize towards the chair.

...meanwhile, when Kazui was still masked:

the camera is clearly Within the audience, shooting Kazui on the stage (vs the camera With kazui when he's mask-less, shooting Kazui's perspective of him to the audience).

there is no emphasis on the background, but instead, focuses more on kazui himself and what he's doing on the stage.

a lot of people think about the final bits of Cat, or the brief flashbacks in the screen at the final seconds of half as what happened before hinako's death, but i wonder if the mask-less stage scenes have the answers we need? maybe if we combined all of them together...

i have always interpreted the maskless scenes as Kazui re-enacting everything that has happened, and the info we have from Cat proves this even more to me tbh.

thank you for reading this far if you have! this is my first time trying to make a big post about milgram so please forgive me if this was hard to read, idk how to format these types of posts ;;

(this might've already been obvious to some people but I just felt like it was cool to point out, with the information we have from Cat.)

[lovemyromance]

Do you think Sarah and BB not announcing the next book while the shipwar continues is intentional or not? I’ve seen both arguments and I lean toward not because if i’m correct Sarah doesn’t really get on social media and yes BB would most likely have a media team or someone to help Sarah with marketing but I also feel like the shipwar is mostly within the fandom and not something the average reader would know about and so it might just be “a few bad apples” to someone on a media team or something scrolling through tags not like a full blown issue and not just that but you do have to manually turn on timestamps on posts on tumblr and it’s not always obvious when a tiktok was posted and from experience towards the end of TOG while it wasn’t anything as bad as this with tiktok not being around/popular yet it was the same level of anger and hatred over ships on tumblr like it tends to cycle through toward the end of Sarah’s series where things are wrapping up and all the sudden the fandom is in flames for a while

Honestly I think SJM has a really shit PR/Media team. They have never done a really good job with promoting any of her books and other than the random book signing and instagram live here and there, they're really doing a poor job of capitalizing on the popularity of her books.

In regards to the ship war, I think it only really exists online. Most casual readers ship Elriel or Elucien, and do not have any stake of interest in what is endgame or not. Gwynriel isn't even something that ever comes up, let alone is considered.

I don't think festering the ship war is intentional, as I don't think BB even knows of its existence. Even if it did know, it probably wouldn't know how to use it to their advantage anyways (sorry not sorry). I think the only reason it's taken this long to get the next ACOTAR book out is because SJM was working on CC, her tv show thing (idk if it's even happening still), etc.

If they were trying to be intentional about the ship war, the recent articles that have been published would've hinted at that. But most articles only mentioned Elriel, referring to Lucien as just someone who is her mate who she does not speak to lmao. If you think back to the twilight craze, we allllll knew Bella was going to end up with Edward. But there was still such a big ship war and it was purely just marketing. We had celebrities out here putting #team Jacob on their Twitter bios, teenage girls with full Team Edward merch, and whatnot.

So yeah, long story short, the next ACOTAR is taking a while because SJM is the bottleneck here, not BB trying to prolong some toxic ship war

[ca-suffit]

In regard to the screenshots, why do they want Louis to be a slave owner so bad? Like why are they harping on that so much Jfc? I’m just curious because I haven’t read the books, but does Louis realize later on that slavery is wrong?( idk maybe I’m crazy, walk with me here) Does he grow in his treatment of black people or is he just a whiny, woe-is-me, feel bad for the slave owner gay white guy??

no, it's never addressed in any critical way. some of the book fandom will insist it is but it's not. he has no self awareness about this aspect of his life at all. no other characters comment on it either.

in the pre show fandom, this argument came from a lot of white women who were uncomfortable with a black man running a brothel and maybe therefore "owning" white women. it wasn't what they said but it's what they meant. rly focusing on saying everything was misogyny and the show was "obviously" going to be straightwashed bcuz of this too. once ppl realized a lot of the women in the brothel weren't white, these concerns rly died off.

a lot of book fans who hate the show like to praise the books bcuz a woman wrote them and say rolin, a man, has ruined the rest. it's again trying to use misogyny as an excuse to not look at racism. the fact that they're still going on about claudia's rape too after S2 is crazy. everything to them is waved away as "shock value" even tho anne rice wrote about rape constantly in rly misogynistic and "forgive ur rapist" ways. the show has handled various violence more sensitively than was her norm, in ways that u see affecting the characters for prolonged periods of time.

[itshype]

Avatar: The Way of Water

I saw this film the other day and I'm trying so hard to be normal about it.

....

Mission failed here we go.

Cannot believe the army paid for all their scientist puppets to have fully working reproductive organs. Sperm maybe but ovaries??? They have ovary money?

Every child to have prolonged contact with Jake Sully is fucking stupid. These kids are all so so so so so dumb.

I love how the best way to find the AVATARs is to count the fingers like they're fae or AI art.

Sigourney weaver once again kills it - best actor there.

I felt it was pretty clear that Kiri's other patent is Eywa? When they tried to merge Grace at the magic tree in the first movie? Seemed clear to me but apparently this is just a theory. It also fits though with her playing both characters - Eywa doesn't have any physical features for Kiri to inherit.

Atla did criticism of the military industrial complex so much better. (SORRY)

Best part of the film is the animals - the design, the animation etc so so good.

Lot of characters do a lot of cool things but none is scarier than Zoe Saldana screaming and crying over her child's body and then Jake says "they have our daughters" and she goes DEAD QUIET. THAT WAS INTENSE.

All the kids knowing human swears and military lingo was *chef's kiss*.

I knew that a kid would die. They had way too many kids for them all to live. And Kiri has magic powers, The Son Who Doesn't Die has literally all the plotlines (romantic interest, a soulbond thing, trying to prove himself etc) and Spider has Sequel Potential. So it was either the eldest or the Baby. Then the Eldest son had that argument when his brother said the Whale was his brother. And I was like "yeah he's about to die."

Them staying with the ocean tribe felt weird with the plot and I know they stay as Maori aliens in the end because of all the money spent on the special water motion capture technology.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT JAKE

I cannot believe that when looking at his two sons, dealing with their fights and misbehaviour and clashing personalities, there's zero reflection about his dead twin. What was that?

He's literally living in his dead twin's body (a body made from his twin's DNA) and there's zero reflection about that, about how his kids are more his brother's on some level. a fic author would never squander this angst.

IDK I overall enjoyed it, but for a film that took 12 years overall, there were too many issues with the storyline, script, emotional payoffs, plotholes and unearned or inexplicable character behaviour.

[incorrect-web-novels]

Anyway, I’m back from the war (preparing refs for ArtFight), so here are my TGCF and Epic: the Musical thoughts: 

[MAJOR TGCF NOVEL SPOILERS]

Xie Lian’s story is pretty similar to Odysseus’s imo

“The blood on your hands / Is something you won’t lose / all you can choose is whose” (The Horse and the Infant) - this entire plot point is pretty much the “two people and one cup of water.” Just like Odysseus must kill the son of Hector, Xie Lian can’t deal with the war and provide war to Yong’an, and he chooses to prioritize Xianle/the people under him 

“If I became the monster…” is a different reason for blackening - Odysseus wants to protect his crew and family while Xie Lian isn’t protecting anyone at this point - but that song feels MADE for him tbh. The point where Odysseus repeats, “Oh, Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves,” (a point made by Poseidon), where he’s repeating Poseidon’s logic of not showing mercy compared with Xie Lian believing White No-Face/Bai Wuxiang’s philosophy after those infected by the Human Face Disease killed him over and over again

The “Monster” clip could also work for Jun Wu / Crown Prince of Wuyong (even better than for Xie Lian because he was still trying to save the people of Wuyong by sacrificing lives while Xie Lian didn’t really make an active decision to harm anyone until he wanted to release the Human Face Disease, which, again, wasn’t to protect others), but I don’t remember enough to make more of an argument / animatic

Mu Qing and Eurylochus are pretty different yet similar as well - they’re both willing to use “unscrupulous” methods and leave behind others - albeit Eurylochus is talking about leaving their men to stay as pigs on Circe’s Island, I believe, while Mu Qing is not really as cruel or selfish as he’s portrayed; he was prepared to sacrifice himself to save Xie Lian and Feng Xin at the end. However, like, Eurylochus, he’s “not as moral” as Xie Lian and Feng Xin (Odysseus and Polities in Eurylochus’s case) and leaves Xie Lian and Feng Xin during their exile. 

Idk if Mu Qing would confront Xie Lian the way Eurylochus confronts Odysseus in Mutiny though. He was weirdly excited about Xie Lian maybe killing someone (someone mentioned it a while ago; I don’t remember exactly) and seemed to want Xie Lian to be less “perfect.” Plus, Eurylochus is confronting Odysseus about running away from the sea monster Scylla, which I don’t see Mu Qing condemning. HOWEVER, Eurylochus’s doubt in Odysseus's leadership and ability to keep the crew alive is something I could definitely see in Mu Qing (source: just trust me, bro)

(To be honest, I don’t really get Eurylochus’s character that much - he’s upset Odysseus chose to run from Scylla, but he was all for leaving their men to Circe? - but those albums aren’t fully out yet, so it may make more sense later)

I refuse to believe Feng Xin would work as Polities though. It makes sense in all senses of morality, character function, and plot, but Feng Xin would not sing “Open Arms.” I refuse to believe it. 

Pei Ming has the same vibes as Hermes (“Wouldn’t You Like” and “Dangerous”) actually. I don’t have any clear reasoning, but it makes sense to me, yanno?

Speaking of which, while Jun Wu has similar vibes and ideologies to Zeus (“it is the will of the gods”) and Poseidon, if I had to cast anyone as Poseidon, it would HAVE to be Shi Wudu. 

“His title of ‘Water Tyrant was earned due to him capsizing any ship that did not give him offerings” (TGCF Wiki; Book 1, Ch.13) and “When a god comes down and makes a fleet drown, is he scared that he’s doing something wrong? Or does he keep us in check, so we must respect him, and now no one dares to piss him off?” (Monster)

“Shi Wudu considers death better than experiencing or watching prolonged suffering and pain” (TGCF Wiki; Book 3, Ch.124) and “I mean, you totally could have avoided this / Had you just killed my son” (Ruthlessness)

There’s probably more to say, but it’s ~5 am. I was prepared to sleep, like, 3 hours ago. If there are mistakes, no there aren't