#its because its genuinely my worst piece i think

[crushes-georg]

Why did you turn off reblogs for your cuddle puddle picture? :(

Short answer is because seeing the picture makes me sad, I'll just. Put the long answer in the tags

[urstruly-ghst]

the 1 - the second years !

in which you return home with one last message: it would've been you.

author's note: love when we get to go home! but the cost?

cw: swearing

riddle rosehearts

how dare you?— that was riddle's first thought when you came to his dorm, ecstatic with the prospect of coming home. however, he knew that was selfish— his rose was finally getting their wish come true! what more can he ask?

yet, as he reaches out to your arm before you are whisked away, he only had one question: was he the one? the one you wish to have lived a humble life with? the one who would've been by your side for how long time will permit?

you smiled sadly, because, as much as you are ecstatic, you are gutted at the prospect of leaving him. he was one of your favorite— scratch that, he was your favorite part of twisted wonderland. he was your destined soulmate. how cruel was it for you to figure that out when you don't belong in his world.

"riddle, if i could just easily go back on forth... i would, because you are it, riddle. you're my..." you choked up and looked down at your interlocked hands,

"you're the one." riddle choked

ruggie bucchi

why was he here? ruggie asked as you snuck him out for something. he noticed you seem happier yet withdrawn. he reached out and when you spat you're going home? he froze and nearly wanted to leave you.

ruggie didn't need someone else to abandon him, not after all the shit he put through to make things work out. he's pissed, understandably so, but he also can't help but feel defeated. this "talk" could've been his time at work, he reasoned, but here he was— shattered at the prospect.

his first question was, why? he never had someone genuinely care for him that doesn't benefit them besides his family. so when you and him make it past that enormous mountain of doubt, it was a big deal. now here you are, leaving him for what? as he looked at you, he can't help but feel angry and worst of all, sad. because he usually finds ways, but here, he's defenseless once more.

"leave then." ruggie said as he tried to hide his flattened ears and teary eyes. you reach out to him and whispered your dreams of spending your last days with him.

"i would've loved nothing more than to grow old with you, stressing over bills and making ends meet... and maybe you'll find someone else, someone sweeter and..." you caress his face and smile. "and someone who'll be with you till they get to see you succeed."

azul ashengrotto

its unfair. azul would say, you were supposed to be with him until... then again, was there ever a contract? he prides himself that no one gets away from his grasp, yet here he is, losing the most important person he dreamed to have stayed.

azul dreamed of any outcome, just not this. he laughed, foolish enough to think you would've stayed forever. as you both huddle in your private space in the vip room, he can't help but want to make a deal with you, some deal to make you stay. why not delay for a year? a decade? but as he stared at your longing eyes, he knew he had to let you go.

but he can't help but wonder. you saw how azul accepted that the leech twins will leave him the moment the time comes, it took some time... but he surrendered to that fact long ago. azul blames himself for not doing the same with your departure. he should've kept some piece of himself behind, but how foolish is he to give you his whole heart.

"perhaps we can... my dear.. please" azul hiccuped as he hugged you and unable to find it in his mind to make you stay.

"azul..." you coo, "if i had a say in this, i would've... i would've loved to live this life with you. i would've loved to see you grow your empire and well... i would've been there in every waking moment to see you become the man you dream to be." you smile and kiss his head

"and if anything, i can see you becoming that amazing man." as you shakily kissed him, "you're the one i wish i can spend my whole life with"

jade leech

if you thought he'd not fight with you, you're dead wrong. you're welcome to sit there and think he'd grovel, but he's executing every means to delay you. but once he realizes he cannot keep you any longer, he just sits there in shock.

why? why aren't you going to fight against this? wasn't he a dream of yours? was he not worth the fight? he conjured up so many questions and unabashedly used some of his unique spell so you can speak your truth, and it hurt when you answer in full honesty.

can't he just whisk you away? why aren't you... you both sit together in pain and longing. so many times has jade gotten his way this was one of the first... it hurts. he stayed there holding you close, foolishy listening to your heartbeat.

"jade...?" you whispered, "i love you" he nodded with tears in his eyes. he whispered his reply and he glared at the fact you were honest. he wishes you lied, to make him feel angry... but..

"if i could lie to you, i would've. but jade, i meant it. you're the one. i wish i could say you weren't. it would've been easier but... hey, when did i ever choose easy?"

floyd leech

he squeezed you. he didn't want you to leave. it was not fair. floyd wasn't the type to let go and accept things so easily. you were his, the moment he saw you, but why don't you fucking act like it?

you hiccuped as you were taken into his arms, he was convinced you wouldn't be taken away. floyd opened up to you, he told you things not even his twin would know. who else would be his shrimpy? who else would make things count now.

as he hiccuped and held you tightly, you gave him the dreams you wish to have shared with him. and while floyd doubts he'll get your dreams with how he might avoid it, any connection of you, you smile and just believed him.

"i was wrong about you. you proved to me how fun it was to be loved and love crazy. so floyd, prove me wrong again, and prove to me i wasn't the one for you. but, if i can be selfish, i want you to know you can never..." you gasp for air as you regret saying it, "you can never disprove how you're the one for me."

kalim al asim

he was used to losses, kalim can just find new things. but not with you. never with you. irreplaceable was the only word for you, there could only be one you. kalim wasn't prepared to lose you too.

kalim promises he'll be good, he'll go the extra mile, he begs at your feet. you couldn't leave, no. only you could've broken him down to pieces. your sunshine was what he was missing and what he yearns for every waking moment. humor him, stay.

"i could be more... or i could also!" kalim has begged and traded anything he can for the nth time. you shake your head, giving him the biggest smile you can.

"i don't need anything from you." you say as you told him everything he needed to hear, from you, "because you've given me the world, im sorry if i couldn't have given you half of what you gave me. kalim, find someone that your heart desires, screw what your baba thinks. you deserve the world. you're my greatest treasure, so you deserve at the very least the world with love"

jamil viper

jamil reasoned he should've known better. good things end up gone when it came to him. he wondered if this was some cruel prank you did, to make him face reality. but you weren't.

you sat there with a big sad smile and told him why you're leaving. it wasn't because of x or y, it was just you wanted home. jamil should've known that, but he didn't believe it. why didn't he?

jamil curses himself, he prides on knowing what to do next but he's here dumbfounded and once again one upped by you. yet, as you both accept you'll leave, jamil whispers lowly how he wishes he can be free to choose to run with you

"as stupid as it sounds, i want to run off with you" you laugh and smile. jamil looked away and just shrugged, but you looked down and talked lowly

"i wish i can say "be stupid". but hey, don't. you're too good to run away now. jamil, you're amazing. if only i could see what you'll be in the future, i would be cheering on how you were not stupid." you both laugh as you shared one last night together

"and when time passes, just know, jamil, you were the one i know will rise above everyone else."

"and you would be the one responsible as to why i didn't fail" jamil responded

silver

in dreams, silver had visions of you and him sharing a life. you both were delusional to believe the dreams, when the vision was hazy at best. but, two hearts can dream, right?

silver was shattered when you told him that you'll leave. he wondered if he still had the right to dream about you and him. you reached out to him and told him the honest truth, no. he can't dream about you anymore, not when you were never to be seen again

but, unknown to you, the last night you had with him, he dreamt of you two once more. intertwining your last dream together. let silver be selfish, for these dreams are what his heart kept desiring for.

"what did i tell you." you smile as you are welcomed into the dream both of you built together. a small cottage in a far off land, no pain or suffering touches these walls.

"dear, let me be selfish." silver pouts. and you relent, feeling the bitter pain seep in as you realized this dream shall remain only that: a dream.

"how cruel it is, my happy ending won't be with you" silver muses as you held each other, "seven knows i want it to be with you"

"oh trust me, you'll still have your happy ending. much like how i will still get mine. but if wishes and dreams came true? it would've been you, silver"

[rinnstars]

impressing you!

itoshi rin attempts to tell you he likes you in questionable ways

itoshi rin x reader : fluff, crack, use of brain rot terms, dti mentioned, super bad ending i’m so sorry idk anymore school got me, not proofread + likes and reblogs are appreciated <3

growing up with itoshi rin with all his personality quirks, you were pretty sure you could expect anything and everything from him - whether that be him showing up at your house at midnight without any warnings, or him wearing your hello kitty pajamas after school for ‘fun’, or even eating frozen cheese straight out of the fridge for breakfast. but nothing could prepare you for what the hell he just asked you.

“what.” one chance for him to take back, or more so one chance for you to regain back your sanity from whatever you just swore to god he asked.

“.. i asked if you’d like to play dress to impress together.. you know because youre always playing it during class.” what the hell.

maybe the world was ending, and you look outside only to now be even more dismayed that the sun is in fact shining, the sky is perfectly blue, and there was no cloud in sight. then maybe this was all a dream after spending the previous night playing games, you pinch yourself and to your horror, you do in fact feel the pain as you nip at your own hand, almost yelping to the oblivious rin sitting beside you. or maybe your eyesight is failing you and you’re seriously deluding yourself that its rin simply after being apart from him for months, you think, removing your glasses and wiping it and nope - that was in fact rin, still wearing a blank face that youre far too used to.

“do you even have a roblox account..” you were 100% sure that whatever horror games you’ve seen him play does not involve roblox and he’s probably more likely to be a discord mod than a roblox player - credited to you friending him on steam and seeing the horror of games he has bought on that app

“.. ill make one now.” and you think maybe blue lock has actually rotted rin’s mind or maybe his friends there has corrupted the rin you once knew.

and instead of spending your math class, you know paying attention and doing the work assigned, there you were at the back row playing dress to impress with itoshi rin attempting his best but clearly not dressing to impress anyone to say the least.

and maybe this is a miracle and an awakening because you were so sure since a little kid that itoshi rin, your best friend in this entire world, do not have any weakness - whether that be in sports (for obvious reasons), in arts (getting an A even though he ‘winged it’), in games (carried you in shooting games and horror games) that maybe you’ve finally discovered his achilles heels that is apparently fashion.. and handling getting humbled by kids on roblox.

“why the hell is this kid calling my outfit skibidi toilet” if anything, in your honest reaction, you’d call me something worst than that looking at the total mess of a outfit he was wearing because why the hell is he wearing two hairs at once that do not merge at all. in fact, you’d be polite to even call whatever he’s just made an outfit in the first place because it looks like he genuinely spun a wheel and picked pieces at random.

even funnier is that you can practically see rin’s ear letting out steam - clearly upset that he’s apparently not winning the top place. if anything, you think its funnier because he doesnt even rage like this playing his competitive shooting game, or when he doesnt get a good grade for his exams, or even when he drops his ice cream when you were little, only when he plays soccer and apparently dress to impress. now maybe with his ego, or whatever he said learnt at blue lock, would be able to let him score a goal (win top place with a good outfit)

however, to his dismay, and to your expectation, he in fact does not win top places, not even top 3, by the end of the hour long math lesson.

and to him, he practically just lost the first tip that bachira told him and as he quotes “if you like someone you’ve got to like have shared interest right?” and clearly and unfortunately he just cannot get into dress to impress in the same way that you just aren’t really interested in football which he completely gets. but now he’s in doubt about his own situation and by that he means the love test percentage thing he was convinced to take by again bachihara - failing at a whooping 15% that he was meant to be your soulmate. but if there’s something he’s good at, its perseverance and he will not give up just because multiple kids in the game called him skibidi toilet

and right now he thinks hes absolutely down bad and he is only proving the allegations that he really has a crush on you when hes spending time after football practice to play dress to impress. even worse, hes looking up online guides on “cheatsheets” to get outfits, entering millions of codes to unlock hidden items, spending the entire night playing this game.

and of course, its at 4:30am when you log in only to find one person playing dress to impress and youre pretty sure this is the equivalant to a sleep paralysis demon as you blink all the sleep away in your eyes to confirm the words in front of you: itoshi rin is playing dress to impress in the middle of the night. more specifically, itoshi rin who preaches about taking care of ones body by sleeping early, eating all three meals, doing yoga every single day is ruining his sleep scheuldue for a roblox game. and as all sleep deprived people do, you send him a message to confirm that its in fact him and not a hacker.

chat

you: r u playing dti or have u not logged out of dti since class 😭😭

rin: playing

you: R U ACTLLY INTO DRESS TO IMPRESS… who r u impressing 🙏🏻🙏🏻

rin: you

and you feel your heart stop - and not because of caffeine, or another realisation that yoive forgotten to do your work right in class or winning a lucky draw from the ice cream you share with rin. but then the realisation hits and youre now instead let down because of course sleep deprived him would say such words that unfortunately made your heart pump because of all the years you’ve known him, you know that whenever he doesnt sleep well, he always becomes a different person, spouting nonsense about everything and anything as all the logic that he’s so used to melts away from his brain. and so you without thinking close your phone and leave itoshi rin on read.

and maybe its even worse that when you wake up, you realise rin sends you the number of stars he’s collected over his overnight grind that’s somehow more than the amount you’ve gathered throughout the weeks of playing dress to impress and even funnier because he’s clearly texting the wrong person.

chat

rin: (1 attachement)

rin: is this a good rank bachiara

rin: should i check if mine n y/n’s soulmate on that love website increased

you: shld be 100%

rin: from 15%?

you: i’m more accurate than it btw r u still on dti

rin: ?

rin: oh ignore

you: no lets play tgt actlly vote me 5* i need to have more stars than u

and you can’t wait to go to math class to play dress to impress with rin at the back of the class (spoiler alert: he won all the rounds somehow) now dating (he gives you five stars)

[karlachismylife]

I am a little scared to write characters with different backgrounds, like Russian characters in the CoD franchise, because I'm afraid a Russian person will see it and be like, "What the fuck is this" and laugh at it maybe 😭 So I have to ask, do you ever find yourself judging fics based on how they portray the characters and the language? Like "this doesn't fit well" or "that's not how it works" type of stuff.. Are there any deal breakers, something you despise in fics, or maybe even advice for writing Russian characters... Thank you in advance, have a great day! 🩵

Hey comrade! This is a good question! And I can totally relate; not just to writing non-Russian characters, but even writing Russians from CoD is intimidating, because they are much older than me and witnessed a lot of historical and cultural changes in the country (even a whole another country if we think that at least Nikolai was born in USSR) that I haven't, and trust me, times haven't stopped being crazy here for the last 30 years or even more, so for me not having witnessed the 90s or being a baby in 2000s is a reason to be scared shitless writing for them, cuz fuck if I know how a person that lived through those times thinks.

All that to say, I think it's completely normal to feel awkward writing characters with backgrounds you're not familiar with, and also it's not a big deal if you get stuff wrong sometimes. I mean, isn't there like a whole bunch of fics about task force 141 and the "tapping out" ceremony that seems to exist in USA army only? People still enjoy them and no one was hurt by it. It's fiction and art, and first and foremost we want you to enjoy creating it; moreover, you are doing it and sharing it for free, so every decent person will always be grateful and supportive, and if anyone is coming at you aggressively for getting something wrong, you can tell them идите нахуй and block them. Mocking an artist that put effort and love into a piece of art is one of the worst things one can do.

(sorry this turned out longer than I expected so I'm hiding it under the cut). CW!politics and heavy themes, somewhat of a rant. I tried to summarize in the end and give a few tips so if you want to skip the rant, go down.

So me and my Paris (@nrdmssgs) came togther to make a list of stuff that might catch our eye or turn us off from reading a fic. Keep in mind that these are just opinions of two people! And I know for a fact that some Russians will not agree with me on some of these. So again, my main tip is not to overstress; we are genuinely glad when Russian characters get recognition despite all the negativity often surrounding them.

First, I'll just say, there are a lot of things that irk us in the games themselves. This goes not just for weird Russian accents or sometimes broken Russian altogether; I personally am very displeased with how freely (and wrongly, lol) they use the term "gulag" (ГУЛАГ) there. First of all, it is not a synonym to prison/camp, it's the name of the government agency that was in charge of running labor camps in USSR, so calling the camp itself this word is simply incorrect; second, it's a big tragic page in history, so throwing it around willy-nilly as some oooh scary prison place where characters in a pew pew game are put and can escape just feels insensitive to me. Generations of people whose countless families were hurt by this system are very much alive right now and it is a raw wound unfortunately, and the government is very much refusing to acknowledge this tragedy in its fullness. So there's that. There's also way too good-looking Makarov that spent who knows how much time in solitary confinement (we have people actively dying in solitary right now in much shorter time), there's Milena with a single bank account (show me one Russian oligarch that doesn't have their money shoved in 100 different places, uh-huh), there's Yegor Novak who is Ukrainan, but speaks Russian (yes, considering that he was born in USSR, he most likely speaks both languages, but erasing his identity is still problematic). So you see, there's a lot of shit to combat in canon already, and it's worth spending time looking into some of these things. Now to the fics!

I will say, I do notice of course when a Russian character is written by a non-Russian person that doesn't know much about Russian language/culture/mentality/history/whatever. And while I understand that it's hard and won't throw a fic away for not getting every little thing right, there is stuff that catches my attention.

The most obvious would be the language, of course. Russian is grammatically much more complicated than English and number one giveaway are mistakes in grammatical cases/genders. Even my good comrade here who knows Russian very well and surprises me with impeccable use of complicated constructions that show they understand some nuanced connotations/usage of words, even they often make mistakes with genders of words. And I can't blame them, for a native English speaker it is a new concept! But this, and also just the sentence structures, incorrect word choice (again, connotations are key) are always jarring in text. Usually I just skim over it and forget in the next sentence, sometimes it does make me laugh, but like. I'm not gonna make fun of anyone for making a mistake in a language, I appreciate when people make effort. But I do encourage everyone to send their Russian text to someone who can proofread it (me, for example, DMs and askbox always open). And if you really want to do it on your own, maybe don't just rely on google translate and such and try to do it with a dictionary and some base-level grammar lessons so you can make sure the endings of the words are alright, at least. Then we can talk about the difference between "blyat'", "blyad'", "blya", "blyadina" and "blyadstvo" :D

Another thing I do always have a quick upset sigh about is when people call borsht a Russian soup. No it's not, it's Ukranian. We do eat it a lot, yes, and it's not inherently bad or wrong to write a Russian character eating/cooking it, but it is nice when people do not add to the appropriation of Ukranian culture that's been going on since for-fucking-ever. Same goes for unfortunately many other cultures that Russian imperialism tried swallowing, so it's always better to google it and check. And just food in general, maybe spend a little time looking up what's the difference between pel'meny and varyeniky or what's okroshka. It's always an amazing experience when someone gets such details right! And an even better experience when you don't erase other Slavic or even Eastern European identities, brushing everyone under "Russian" rug. We are definitely nor a homogenous crowd! Moreover, not everyone born in Russia (and especially USSR) will be Russian. Looking into different ethnicities and nationalities that live here is just interesting if nothing else, but also very very important after centuries of opression.

I also have some non-serious beef with this magical "Siberia" western comrades love writing about, I touched on the topic here. An amazing impression is when people use less broad geographical names or look at less overused places. Did you know that Natalia "Raptor" Orlova is from Kamchatka? It's such a rich region with a lot to tell about!

What I do definitely dislike and it can turn me off from finishing the read at all, is insensitive writing of the characters themselves in terms of their background. It's complicated since I myself am not patriotic at all and I couldn't tell you for the life of me what it means "to be Russian", but it just. You can feel when a person thinks in stereotypes, you know? Like somewhere I saw something, I won't give a direct quote, but the main idea was that Russian/Slavic men all 100% have a breeding kink, and it was worded in a way that kinda felt like, hm, like a bit dehumanizing? Making them out to be these ooga booga barbaic cavemen? And yes, there is a lot to be said about Russian men, much of it very not good, and there is NOTHING wrong with writing a Russian character with a breeding kink, but it felt not nice to read that sentence, so just maybe after you write your piece do some introspection to make sure you weren't dipping into that kind of portrayal out of prejudice. If that's the effect you went for storytelling/your personal enjoyment cuz you like them ooga booga? I won't say a thing. Also the whole vodka/balalaika/ushanka/whatever bullshit, not entirely untrue, again, especially the vodka one, but if you write Nikto drinking kvas (which is non-alcoholic, okay, but still) or baltika beer instead of vodka, you'll make me happier, because it's like a signal "hey look I know a bit more about your culture that a James Bond movie intro showed me once". And in the next scene I'll forgive you even him riding a battle bear with vodka and balalaika in hand.

Coming back to the "barbarization" of Russian men in fics, it irks me a little when people lean too much into the whole Russian bandit/mafia stuff, and there are two characters that suffer from it, but each a little differently, the most. First is Nikolai, and while yes, he is a crime lord of sorts and he has that goddamn golden chain (which most Russian people or at least women find absolutely horrid and oh we do not come near men sporting those irl), I think people often write him... not intelligent enough? Too gruff and rough? He's an intellectual. Well-read, well-spoken, cultured. Level-headed. Whenever people write him too much like a 90s bandit, my heart breaks a little. But then again, I know Russian people that lean into the same set of stereotypes when writing him (but those same people have a lot of other uhhh xhenophobic tendencies that show when talking about other characters so I wouldn't rely on their views).

And then there's probably the biggest pet peeve of mine. Vladimir Makarov. Now, here is a big big disclaimer: YOU CAN WRITE WHATEVER YOU WANT IN YOUR FICS!!! We are already romantacizing military men that none of us (I hope) would approach irl; and if you want to write Makarov or Nikolai or whoever else in a certain way because that's what hits the spot for you, just do it. You want yandere Makarov or mummy issues Nikto or whatever else your heart desires? Go for it. I will be the first one defending your right to write it with a crowbar in hand, even if I myself would never read such a fic. So this here is entirely MY PERSONAL ISSUE. Deal? Deal.

I see it a lot here on tumblr (mostly in x reader fics) and it actually bothers me a lot, but when people write Makarov as this edgelord dark mafia boss. It just misses the point so much. He's an ultra-nationalist, a head of a PMC. They are not mafia, I would honestly argue that they're much worse. I get that they cast a very attractive man to play reboot Makarov and honestly the og Makarov too; I get that villains are the hot thing to be attracted to (sorry if I sound bitter, this is a separate problem I have with fandom and it doesn't matter rn), but Wagner (PMC that Konni is heavily based on) is a real life horror that is still existing even though there have been like structural changes. And they killed a lot of people and had enough power to threaten to overthrow the government so very recently. Rusich (another nationalist military group) is still active and doing horrible things and proudly reporting them online. Smaller far-right pigs are out in the streets doing horrible things. And a lot of it is (not so) subtly encouraged by the government. A lot of it is actively used by the government to gain more power, kill more people, instill more fear. It's a reality we live in, and to me seeing Makarov portrayed with none of that nationalism in sight and with all the allure of a dark romance novel mafia boss is... honestly, painful. Feels like a slap in the face, to be honest, and while I understand that this is the kind of nuance you can't just realize out of nowhere if it's not something you live around and that it's all fiction, it just is really, really hard to read for me. He is not just a complete crazy Joker-type freak, he's not a cool sexy mafia boss, he's a fucking nazi terrorist that can and will be paid by certain people in power to do their dirty work.

In the same route, but luckily I haven't seen it anywhere besides a certain group of Russian CoD fans (which is even more terrifying considering the political implications), but anyone who writes Barkov as a hero/in a positive light - fuck you. Just fuck you. He has interesting/attractive traits as a character, yes, I'm not saying you can't write about him, looking into him from different perspectives, simping for him if you want; but again, just spend some time reading up on recent history and politics that inspired the whole Urzikstan situation0 - and do it all with nuance. Or with a disclaimer that you don't support genocide at least, lol, cuz I'm telling you, I've seen people that made me scared.

However, once again, if you really want exactly that - ignore MY PERSONAL opinion and write it. I am just a gorilla on tumblr, my opinion is not the centre of the world. But what I do consider not a taste issue, but a deeper issue, is writing REAL PMCs and the likes of those in positive light. If anyone with a "Wagner OC" sees this post, just know, I would probably spit in your face irl. Making made-up Makarov go kiss kiss uwu or whatever irks me personally, but I can close the tab and let the author be; I'm sure many people have same opinion about Graves whom I write much more affectionately than some would prefer. But the real shit? That's a hard line.

A quick addition, back coming back to the "barbarization", just portraying Slavic characters being oh so very mesmerized by the !!!wonders of western civilization!!! is funny. There are definitely moments like this, but not as much as you think. Believe it or not, we actually don't live in bear caves.

This got way too long and dark, so let's finish on a lighter note. Russian characters celebrating some very non-Russian holidays (like Thanksgiving or catholic Christmas, even though the second one is not as bad) is funny, when it doesn't have much explanation (like them celebrating it with someone who actually does). "Suka blyat'" is funny, because it's often used where a simple "blyat'" would suffice.

Summarizing, here are general semi-short tips how to write Russian characters:

get your Russian proofread by someone who actually speaks it or at least don't fully rely on google translate. check your cases and genders!

especially if you use cusswords. it's an amazing characterization tool if you manage to use it right, so putting effort into it is always worth it

don't lean into stereotypes. they are partially true, but we kinda can tell when you do that intentionally and with nuance and when you don't know anything beyond them

be mindful about characters' identities and spend a little more time to make sure you are not writing someone else's stuff as "Russian". for the lack of better analogy, it's like mixing all Latin American identities together and writing them all as uhhh Mexican. we don't want to claim others' culture and others most definitely do not want to be erased again

be careful about the "barbarization" of your Slavic characters. sure, someone like Maxim "Minotaur" Bale won't strike you as the most intellectual individual (love you Max), but be intentional with it and don't just make every Slavic man go ooga booga but in Russian

didn't touch much on Russian/Slavic women, but be careful around the whole "money-hungry" stereotype

read up on political shit surrounding your characters. whether you like it or not, Russian people have been shaped by a lot of recent/current political happennings, so missing out even on general understanding of what your character witnessed/what their political views are can ruin a lot of characterization

Russia is fucking huge and does not consist just of Moscow and abstract "Siberia". the amount of cultures, confessions, nature stuff etc in the country is insane. not all Russians are orthodox Christians, but also - many of them are. and also - church was under fire in USSR so this is a separate layer of cultural shit you might want to consider

read Russian literature if you really want to write Russian characters a lot, it'll help you catch a feel of some very specific things like our yearning. it's a very specific thing that if you get right will give me a reading orgasm

same goes for Russian songs. also just don't underestimate the role of music in Russian life!

try to look up Russian "pop culture" (it feels kinda wrong to call it that, but I dunno how else to call it). if you can make your Russian character make an appropriate reference to a movie or say a Russian saying we actually use, it'll be amazing. but it's like level impossible i think so don't give yourself a headache over this, this is just that extra spice that will have me scrolling through your profle suspecting you're actually secretly Russian yourself

watch Soviet/Russian movies to get a better understanding of the vibe, not just what Hollywood portrays!

looking into architecture can be an interesting way to approach a character. we went through many different unique architectual styles, so if you're describing a character's home, it'll be a very cool move to specify what kind of apartment building they live in, for example

but most importantly remember: it's art you do for yourself first and foremost. don't take any of it as a strict guide you'll be punished for straying away from! we REALLY appreciate you writing for these characters, and you showed you put more thought into it than some of Russian comrades I know <3

and if you have specific questions, never be afraid to ask me or anyone else you know can help.

I hope I didn't scare you even more with this all, lol, I genuinely do appreciate you coming to me for advice, it means a lot when people show interest and effort. If you feel comfortable enough, send me/tag me in your fics, I'll be glad to read them and share with comrades that will enjoy them! From Russia with love ❤️❤️❤️🦍

[captain-sodapop]

The Winchesters: A Post-Mortem

Endings are hard.

I’ve been dicking around, and as I wrapped up another Supernatural rewatch, I finally decided to follow through on something I’ve been threatening to do for a while: watch The Winchesters.  Since the show is dead, done, and dusted, I feel okay about it because now it feels like it’s just some obscure piece of lost media and I’m not actually, you know, supporting it.

I think we have a hard time letting stories end, especially when they have been with us for so long.  We live in an age of reboots and endless spinoffs.  The Winchesters is an interesting case because when the flagship show ended, viewers had all their own feelings about it, but it was over and they knew it was over.  Dead, done, and dusted.

Not so much.

As you know, on June 24th, 2021, about seven months after the end of Supernatural, Jensen Ackles announced his spinoff The Winchesters, produced by his and his wife’s new production company, Chaos Machine.  Robbie Thompson would be heading the project, and it would be telling the “epic love story” of Sam and Dean Winchester’s parents.  We’ve already established that there’s no story here, and no matter how you twist it you will never convince me there is – at least, not in the way they wanted to tell it.  Diehard fans and conspiracy theorist Hellers seemed to end up being its primary audience, but considering its low viewership numbers, I don’t think it ended up attracting many people outside of the established fandom, and was thus canceled. 

This was not a story people cared about.

This fact did not seem to matter to the good people at Chaos Machine and The CW.

Luckily for me, there are only thirteen episodes, and I have nothing better to do, so I am here to present my autopsy of The Winchesters.

The pilot moves so fast.

The Winchesters begins with Samuel Campbell, Mary’s father and Sam and Dean’s grandfather, who we know from the original show.  In the prequel, he’s played by Tom Welling, not Mitch Pileggi, but he’s a mere shadow when we first see him, so we can’t tell yet how poor the casting is.  All that matters is that we know he’s gone missing, and Mary wants to find him.

Immediately, the cold open of the pilot pales in comparison to the flagship program’s pilot.  It really does feel like a cold open to any run-of-the-mill episode of Supernatural.  It doesn’t create that same intrigue as the Supernatural pilot does.

But that brings us to one of the show’s central problems, and it’s something that shows up almost immediately: it is a poor attempt at rehashing the original, filled with Easter eggs that the casual viewer wouldn’t have gotten or cared about.

Right after that, we get the copycat title card and then a sort of awkward transition to John’s homecoming.  He’s having PTSD flashbacks to his time in Vietnam, his tour having just finished, and goes home to see his mother (whose name I don’t even think is mentioned in the pilot, not until the second episode, so I think anyone wasn’t isn’t familiar with the original show might be a little confused.) 

But this is where we hear him: Dean Winchester.

“March 23, 1972.  The day Dad came home from the war, and the day he met Mom.  Now I know this story might sound familiar, but I'm gonna put the pieces together in a way that just might surprise you.  And in order to do that, I have to start all the way at the beginning.”

Um.  Okay.

I’m going to tell you what this is, and it’s really very simple: it’s a justification.

Genuinely, I think these voiceovers are one of the worst things about the show.  Now, Dean isn’t exactly a poet, and even Sam teased him for some of his corny lines, but these bookends are…beyond poorly written.  Just strings of cliches put together, and the first one is the worst one because what it is attempting to do is justify this show’s existence within its very text.

As anyone who is familiar with the situation knows, when the prequel was announced, there was very public backlash – including from Jared Padalecki, who not only played protagonist Sam Winchester in the original show, but was not looped into any of this…at all.  He found out at the same time the rest of us did, and it was pretty clear from the reaction that his was the majority opinion.

The thing about this little intro from the pilot is that it’s not really Dean talking here – it’s Jensen.  It’s Danneel Ackles and Robbie Thompson trying to justify the fact that this show even exists.  That exact sentiment showed up in several press releases and interviews for the show.  Whoever was being spoken to, they’d be like “Oh, we’re gonna surprise you!  It’s not what you think!”

The thing is, the prequel is:

Not surprising

Doesn’t exactly start at the beginning.  That’s misleading.

(“I’m gonna put the pieces together in a way that just might surprise you.”  Jesus Christ, shut up.)

The pilot does do something I appreciated, though, which was to acknowledge that John enlisted underage by forging his father’s signature.  This could have been interesting, but they drop it pretty fast.

I know pilots sort of need to hit the ground running to prove their case, but if we’re going to use the original show’s pilot as a point of comparison, it’s incredibly weak.  Not only were there rumored production issues and they apparently had to do reshoots, forcing them behind schedule for the rest of their run and putting immense pressure on the cast and crew, but it’s simply lacking.  In the original pilot, we are given enough glimpses of the Winchester backstory to make the rest of the pilot interesting.  Sam and Dean are brothers and therefore have history, a dynamic – though strained at the time – and an undeniable chemistry that intrigues us enough to keep us watching.  With the Woman in White, we get an idea of what it is the family does and what Sam has run away from, while giving the episode a plot that isn’t yet mired in the show’s mythology.

The Winchesters doesn’t have that.  What we have is John and Mary, and while a lot of people were rightfully confused as to why they – of all the characters on the original show – would be the ones to get a spinoff, the fact is that they did.  Truthfully, while they would not have been my first choice, if treated properly, I believe John and Mary’s lives before the show could have potential.

What we know about John and Mary from the original show is that they were brought together by a Cupid from Heaven in order to ensure the birth of Sam and Dean, so that Michael and Lucifer would have vessels for the Apocalypse.  In fact, the Cupid states that John and Mary couldn’t stand each other beforehand, but I guess when they bumped into each other outside of Slaughterhouse Five (which does happen in the spinoff’s pilot), I guess we’re to assume that’s when Cupid’s arrow struck and they fell in love.

Basically, their love is…not natural.  It would not have been something they chose for themselves without divine intervention.  The prequel doesn’t hint at this at all.  Instead, the prequel has John and Mary immediately thrust together and John introduced to the world of the supernatural and the Men of Letters and on his first case all in those 42 minutes.

These are not John and Mary.  Not the ones that we could be made to truly care about.

The John and Mary we know are much more complex.  They are interesting, and flawed.  We know from season 12 that Mary was sometimes sneaking out on hunts, even after Dean was born.  We know that John and Mary would sometimes separate for a few days at a time, maybe even longer, probably because what they had for each other was not true love, but something divined by Chuck/God and the angels in order to carry out their plans.  They were pawns, especially when it came to them as a couple.  A story where Mary is struggling to keep her former life a secret while John is dealing with his post-service life, all while trying to be a couple and having these moments of realizing they don’t really know or love each other could have been a good premise.  Instead, what they present is instead just sort of…confusing.

After the pilot, there are a series of Monster of the Week episodes.  This is all supposed to be John’s intro to hunting and the true coming together of the Scooby Gang.  This version of John and Mary are thrown together with Latika (she’s the pacifist who does all their research), Carlos (he’s the stereotypically slutty, sassy bisexual), and Ada (the wannabe witch who’s older than them and I guess sort of a mentor?  Maybe?), and along with John’s mom, Millie, we’re told that they’re this big, happy found family.

Lots of telling and not showing here.  In all honesty, John and Mary don’t have great chemistry, and that is not intentional.  (I’m actually not gonna blame this one on the acting, at least not wholly, but I’ll get more into that later.)  John is saying that he can’t live without Mary within something, like, three episodes.  Honestly, he’s got better chemistry with Latika in the pilot than he does Mary.  Actually, I’d say he has better chemistry with pretty much all the other main characters – Latika, Carlos, and Millie – than he does Mary, and that is interesting.  Ya know why?  It’s because it makes John feel like the protagonist.  And John is the closest thing to a Sam-like character we get in this show.

We learn early on that the Big Bad is something called the Akrida, which are these weird, poorly CGI’d spider-looking things (all of the budget on this show went to music and reshoots, I swear), and they are out to destroy the universe – and not just this universe; all the universes are at stake, so it feels like the show is trying to play off what the original program was doing in its last few seasons.  (Which, weren’t all but Earth One destroyed anyway?  Or something like that?)

This is a big thing.  It feels…too big.  The first season of the original show did a good job of building to the reveal of Yellow Eyes, and they let that story breathe with the Special Children in the second season.  We saw that while Sam and Dean were experienced, they were still novices in a sense, in over their heads, and did a lot of learning and had to figure out how to work together again.  We don’t get that feeling here.  They’re too good too fast.

xXx

In the tenth episode, John and Mary go up against a Golem.  The Golem is under the control of a former Man of Letters who performed experiments on humans, and under the guise of helping them defeat the Akrida, he wants to use John and Mary to bring back what the Akrida took from him: his wife, who was killed by them in the late fifties.

When John and Mary dispose of the bodies at the end of the episode, John thinks what the Man of Letters was doing was out of love, trying to bring her back, but Mary says that he was only doing it for himself – that he was being selfish.  And then she asks John if she thinks they’ll ever turn out like that.

Immediately, this seems to be an assertion that what Mary did in the original show – making the deal with Azazel after he killed her parents and John to bring John back – was this awful, selfish thing.  That saving the only person she had left, the only person she could save (because she wanted Azazel to bring back her parents, too), was inherently wrong.  This seems to ignore the fact that Mary had no idea what the repercussions of the deal would be.  All she knew was that the demon was going to “pay her a visit”, whatever that was supposed to mean (probably assuming he would come to collect her soul as usual), and all she wanted was to save just one person, and that was the man she believed she loved.

I know we’ve established that John and Mary’s love was contrived, but to Mary, she believed she did love him, and it is ridiculous to think that her saving him was something that makes her inherently bad, or selfish, or unloving, as the prequel seems to imply.  She could not have known that Azazel would do what he did to her, to Sam, and to their family.  She didn’t even know there would be a Sam and Dean!  She was nineteen years old!

And yet, the prequel takes this opportunity to vilify her.  The fandom already did enough of that.  When Mary made her return in season 12, her character endured endless misogynistic takes.  When even Dean said it was ridiculous of him to expect her to tuck him in and make his lunch, the fandom still didn’t want to accept it.

Mary is a complex character.  She was dealt as shitty a hand as any other character, but still had to absorb a lot of blame.  Oh, god forbid she struggle to adjust to the 21st century, and having adult children, and not being dead anymore, and learning what the consequences of her actions were.  She clearly felt immense guilt for the hurt that was brought on her family, which was something she would have never intentionally done.  She wanted her and her family to be safe and did the best she could with the information and resources she had.  God forbid a woman be complex or have flaws or be anything less than the perfect mommy to her adult sons.  (Who – again – were not as upset about that as the fucking fandom was.)

And now the prequel is piling onto her, too.  Our Mary is better!!  Shut the fuck up.

xXx

The prevailing sentiment I had when watching this show was that none of it mattered.  The plot, the characters, the monsters…none of it mattered.  Not as a story, and not as it related to the original show.  It doesn’t even really succeed at doing what it really set out to do, but we’ll get to that later.

Like I mentioned, the Akrida feel like a really big Big Bad for the first season of a show.  Ultimately, what the Akrida are, are a failsafe for Chuck.  Basically, they were his backup plan if he were to ever cease to be and they would carry out his plan to finish destroying all the universes he had created.  I guess those of us who watched the original show are supposed to gather that he created these Akrida sometime around season 15, when he started getting rid of all those other universes.  And, since the Winchesters and Jack defeated Chuck at the end of season 15 and Jack took over as God, these creatures are supposed to come in and finish what Chuck couldn’t.

Alright.  A little convoluted, but I can follow it.  It’s how the spinoff attempts to connect itself back to the main show’s plot.

But, wait a second – I thought this was the epic love story of John and Mary!

Let me just say this: this is not a love story.  The love story in the show is pretty weak.  Like I mentioned earlier, the show moves so fast, which means John and Mary’s relationship moves incredibly fast, and the show makes no indication that this is because of any Cupid effects (but maybe they knew the clock was ticking and they didn’t have a good chance at renewal.)  We get no sense of how much time has passed here.  I’m being told I should care about this relationship, but I don’t because of how little effort the writing puts into not only developing this relationship, but the characters themselves.  So it’s hard for me to say that the love story matters in any way.

Then there’s John and Mary’s searches for their fathers.  Those of us who have seen the original show know that Henry Winchester died in the future killing Abadon.  We also know that Samuel Campbell first died when he was killed by Azazel in 1973, and then in season six after being resurrected by Crowley to help him search for alphas.  After the show opens with Samuel going missing and Mary starting the search for him (which just doesn’t pack the same punch as the search for John), Samuel’s presence in the show after they find him is negligible.  For one thing, he’s not a great portrayal of Samuel, and doesn’t even look like him – not a bit.  That part isn’t as important, of course, but it does still take you out of it a bit.  This Samuel is still sort of a jerk, but it just feels like he’s sort of…there.  So when they find him, it doesn’t feel like a big deal.

John’s search for Henry is carried out a little better.  The reason for John deciding to go home to Lawrence after returning from Vietnam is because a Mystery Man (who we all know is Dean) gave him a letter that Henry had left for John before his passing.  It leads John to finding an old Men of Letters clubhouse in Lawrence, which he and his new friends use as a base throughout the show and is a resource for them in learning about and fighting the Akrida.  When John finally does see Henry as a ghost (the result of a séance similar to the one Sam and Cas perform to contact Bobby in season 10), Henry is once again portrayed by Gil McKinney, like he was in the original show.  That does help.  Henry is mostly there to give them information to help them with the Akrida, but it does give John and Millie a sense of closure, unlike in the original show, where John spent his whole life not knowing what happened to Henry and hating his guts.

This all happens in the seventh episode – the show’s midseason finale: both John and Mary get answers on their fathers.  It’s supposed to be the episode where all these things start to come together.  Mary finds Samuel, John and Millie find Henry (sort of), we get some answers on the Akrida, and John and Mary kiss.  Woohoo.

After that, there are another few Monster of the Week episodes with Big Bad plot running alongside it, just like in the original show.  It follows a similar structure.  The episode with Richard Speight, Jr. as Loki (not sure if it’s supposed to be the real Loki or Gabriel as Loki, but probably the latter?) is maybe the worst one.  Loki/Gabriel just comes off as an annoying caricature, the plot and his scheme are just sort of confusing, and there’s just…way too much singing.  Part of Carlos’s story is that he wanted to be a musician, and he and his former bandmate do some singing, and the songs don’t even sound as if they fit the time period, so.  That’s awesome.

Carlos is also subjected to more humiliation when in an episode with vampires – and I’m sure those in the know already know where this is going! – he has Latika douse his hair in holy water and he whips it around to splash it on the vampires.  Like…since when are vampires affected by holy water?  Not only is the physics of it stupid (it would be so inefficient to have to be constantly whipping your head around, just fucking squirt them with a water bottle or the water gun Carlos used in the pilot), it’s just not even right.  It’s incorrect within the show’s own mythology.

The penultimate episode is a creepy clown episode.  I will say, the clowns are sort of creepy, but maybe that’s just because I agree with Sam about clowns just being inherently creepy.  It’s an okay case, I guess.  This is also the episode with Rowena.  Ada is trying to find some sort of magical way to deal with the Akrida, and she stumbles into a witch club where Rowena finds her.  Ruth McConnell does what she does, and it’s hard to complain about Rowena because she always plays her well.  She does give Ada the magic to use against the Akrida in return for a bonzai tree that has a demon trapped in it (I know, I know) because the bonzai demon has information on her son.  (Who we know is Crowley, but he doesn’t get a namedrop here, and there’s no further explanation there.  I guess it’s possible Rowena could have known in the seventies that Crowley/Fergus was a demon or otherwise had something to do with demons and hell, but when she sees him in season 10 for the first time, she doesn’t recognize him.  I do think that can be written off as him just being in a new vessel, though, so I’ll give this one a pass.)  Of all the guest stars they brought on from the original show, Ruth/Rowena is by far the best, both in performance and purpose.  She shows Ada how to kill Akrida using magic, but doing so kills off a bit of her soul, similar to the magic used to resurrect Jack in season 14.

And then it’s the finale.  Just like that.  In the final episode, they go up against the Akrida and their queen.  In order to kill them, they either need to use the magic Rowena showed Ada, or they need to use something from another world.  They connect with a hunter, Joan Hopkins, who has been in contact with Dean/Mystery Man, who she has thrown into the portal and destroyed after months of him staying ahead of her, and no living thing can survive the portal (the portal being the thing that the Akrida use to destroy worlds.)  John and Mary find out this hunter is actually the queen.  She and her family have hunted with the Campbells for generations, and we find out that Joan was actually born in 1673 and after losing her entire family and her husband, she turned on humankind and imbued herself with monster essence.  She claimed monsters weren’t the problems, but humans for always needing saving, making it so hunters always paid the price for protecting them.  She was made the Akrida queen when she was cast out of her world, and she is helping them carry out Chuck’s final mission of wiping the universe of universes of humanity.  And now, Joan/the Queen is at full power, and will open up the portal to finish the destruction.

In the end, there’s this battle, and all our new friends are there fighting the Akrida, and they use this thing called the Ostium in an attempt to summon something from another world to kill the Queen, the Ostium being the only thing known to be capable of doing such a thing.  They use Dean/Mystery Man’s journal to try to summon him, but nothing happens at first, leading them to conclude that the Mystery Man is dead.

And then – as we all know – the Impala appears.

Mary realizes the Impala is not from their world, and therefore can be used to kill Joan.  With the portal open, she runs Joan over with the car, but also ends up accidentally going through the portal, which as we know, no living thing can survive.  Womp-womp.

But wait!  The Impala reappears, and inside it is a living Mary – and Dean Winchester.

Apparently, the Impala somehow protected her (I don’t know how, it’s not explained, don’t ask me), and Dean tells them all he’s already dead, so it’s not like it could do anything to him, and I guess that tracks.  He was stuck in between worlds after being tossed into the portal by Joan, waited by the portal, and gave Mary a ride out.

I’ll let Dean explain the rest:

“I'm a Hunter, just like you.  But I'm not from this Earth…When I died, I made it to heaven.  And [the Impala] was waiting for me.  So I went for a drive, and then I took a little detour.  Through the multiverse…I was looking for my family.  See, I come from a long line of Hunters.  I guess I was hoping that somewhere out there was an Earth that had a version where my family had a shot at a happy ending.  When I was driving, I caught wind of the Akrida.  Turns out that they were one of Chuck's last creations...basically, he's a real dick.  He left the Akrida behind to wipe out all of existence in case he failed.  Well...he failed.  Eventually the Akrida were going to make their way to my world, and I got family there, so I couldn't let that happen…I took my little detour.  The rules were simple.  Don't mess with anything.  Well…I gave it a little nudge.  Thought it might need a little help.  Looks like it worked out pretty well.  So now that the Akrida are gone, you all can choose your own destiny.  You can write your own story.”

Then Bobby and Jack show up.  We already saw Bobby at the beginning of the episode, and he more or less feels like Bobby, but it’s still like…what are you doing here.  What’s going on here.  This scene at the beginning of the finale shows us when Dean gave John that letter from Henry, when he’s dressed like a Bond villain, setting the story in motion.  Bobby reminded Dean then that they weren’t supposed to meddle, but Dean is Dean and does whatever the fuck he wants, apparently, and Bobby says he’s off to get the cavalry, a line I’m still not completely clear on because who is the cavalry in this situation?  Is it Jack?  Can’t be Gabriel/Loki because they’re dead, can’t be Rowena because not only is she Queen of Hell in the main timeline, but nothing about her appearance here suggests that she was the current iteration of herself from the original show.  So I don’t know who the hell the cavalry is in this context, but I’ll let Jack and Dean take it from here:

JACK: Dean. DEAN: Yeah.  No, I know.  I know, Jack. JACK: When I restored things, I wanted mankind to make their own fate.  That meant no interference from on high, anywhere...no exceptions.  DEAN: I couldn't let our world get destroyed.  Sam's still down there, okay?  He deserves a good, long life.  Hell, they all do.  So, if you want to cast me out of heaven...so be it. BOBBY: If we're taking a vote, I'd say you give the guy another chance. JACK: There's always another case with you Hunters...even in death.  Well...if you're going to meddle in things, finish what you started.  After this...it's time to get around to the..."there'll be peace when you are done"…part of the song.

Jack then hands Dean the journal he had been writing in and the Colt.  Yes, the Colt.  Dean gives them to John and Mary, telling them to use the Colt if a Yellow-Eyed Demon ever comes to them, and to use his journal to help guide them as hunters.  The journal is what we see Dean with in the final episode of the pilot, and what he says in voiceover at the beginning and end of each episode (which are just these platitudes and cliches about hunting and family) are written in that journal.  They ask his name, Dean tells them it’s James Hetfield (founding member of Metallica), and then he, Jack, Bobby, and the Impala disappear.

 The episode ends with all of them happy the Akrida are gone and free to make their own decisions about their lives.  John plans to keep hunting with the gang, but Mary isn’t sure.  She got into Kansas State earlier in the season, but she needs time and space.  But she does show up at the Winchesters’ repair shop at the end, and she and John go on a drive while “Ramble On” plays over a montage of scenes from the show.

And that’s it.

xXx

Okay.

What becomes abundantly clear at the end of this show is that all that mattered – all that ever mattered – was what the fuck Dean was doing.  It wasn’t John and Mary’s love story, it wasn’t the search for their dads, it wasn’t the question of whether to hunt or not, it wasn’t the Scooby Gang’s found family.  It was just…Dean.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I love Dean.  I think he’s an interesting character.  I also think his death was appropriate.  But one person was so frustrated by his ending that he decided he needed to do something about it.

The logistics of the finale are…weird, to say the least.  I can understand the logic behind the Impala being capable of killing Joan based on the show’s rules.  It’s of another world, and Joan really gets her shit rocked by it, like Regina George getting hit by that bus, so I can buy it killing her.  Sure.  And I guess Dean waiting by the portal in the space between spaces or whatever is…plausible, I guess, since we don’t know how anything works between universes, so I’m willing to buy that.  (Notice I’m not buying anything here with much enthusiasm, however.)  But what the fuck does Dean mean, he heard about the Akrida while he was driving around?  What does he mean, he took a detour?  Did Jack tell him what was happening?  Was he the one who set the rules?  If so, did he not take care of the problem himself because of his own self-imposed resolution to not meddle?  Did Jack want Dean to give John the letter?  I don’t think he did because Bobby seemed to think that was meddling, which Dean was expressly told not to do, but how does any of this work without some level of meddling?  And speaking of Bobby, I know we see him in the original show’s finale, but what the hell is he doing this whole time?  Did he get caught by Jack doing something offscreen that we’re not told about, or did he run to him and tattle?  (Super out of character for Bobby to be a narc, by the way, if that is the case.)

Or, maybe I’m supposed to interpret this another way, as something Dean stumbled upon while he was taking his Heavenly drive.  He said he took a little detour and went looking for his family.  That he was hoping there was a version out there that had a happy ending.  Maybe he somehow found this potentially happy version of John and Mary and learned their universe was being threatened by the Akrida when he did?  I don’t know.

I am baffled.  Befuddled, even.

This episode is the only one to acknowledge Sam, and what’s funny about that is that for as much as the show excluded him, it inadvertently reinforces the idea of Sam as protagonist.  Dean wants to stop the Akrida not to save this universe, necessarily, but because he’s worried about the Akrida getting to Earth One and getting to Sam.  He did it all for Sam.  It’s fucking poetic, is what it is, and I don’t think they did it to be poetic.  I think they did it because they knew that:

They were stupid to leave Sam out of it in the first place, and

They had to justify this whole thing somehow.

In the end, none of it mattered.

xXx

At the beginning of this, I mentioned how hard it can be to let things end.  While we can joke about how ridiculous Carlos whipping his hair back and forth to spray vampires with holy water is, or how Mary was dressed like a knockoff Claire Novak in the pilot, or the vanishing Impala, or how bad the Akrida looked, or how convoluted the premise of the whole show is, I think there’s something more we can take away from this: The Winchesters is a study in both vanity and poor media literacy.

Dean Winchester dying at the end of Supernatural makes perfect sense within the text of the show.  This is a tragic character completing his tragic arc.  His death also symbolizes the end of an abusive cycle, but in order to acknowledge that, you have to acknowledge that something very complex exists within Dean’s character.  Many fans do not want to acknowledge that Dean continued the familial cycle of abuse.  Do I believe he loved Sam?  Absolutely.  Do I believe he was unfairly parentified?   Yes.  Do I believe he was also a victim of neglect?  One thousand percent.  But that doesn’t change the fact that Dean continued these harmful cycles.  That’s part of the tragedy.  His death made it possible for Sam to break those cycles and live a life he had been continuously guilted and shamed and ostracized for wanting to live, and while that’s in a sense a win, it comes about in a tragic way.

The tragedy is the point.  The hurt is the point.

But Jensen Ackles just didn’t like that.  Of all the people on the cast and crew, he was the only one who it didn’t seem to click with, and look – I can understand that maybe he needed to take some time to sit with it because he brought that character to life for fifteen years and that character has a rough end, and it also marks the end of fifteen years of his life.  It’s tough stuff.  But what Jensen and the producers of The Winchesters did didn’t add to Dean’s story or his character, it didn’t add to the original story, it didn’t improve upon anything, or clarify anything, or rehabilitate anything.

It was Jensen’s attempt to get the last word, and it failed spectacularly.

I said earlier that I don’t want to blame a lot of the show’s problems on the acting, and I think that’s true.  The main cast are young actors who haven’t been in a ton of projects (Meg Donnelly, who played Mary, has the most experience with ABC’s American Housewife and Disney’s Zombies movies), and I don’t want to blame cast and crew for just wanting to get work, and the main case certainly isn’t unwatchable.  They have to do and say some pretty cringy shit at times, but that’s not on them.  The supporting cast is generally serviceable to forgettable, and only truly bad a couple of times (the guy who plays Ada’s half-djinn son is…not great.  He sounded like he was having lines fed to him and wasn’t comprehending any of what he was saying).  Carlos and Latika aren’t particularly bad characters or poorly portrayed or anything, even if they do rely on some stereotypes (again, not on them), and might be fine in another context. 

I will also say, though, that while Meg Donnelly isn’t like…a bad actor, she’s not a good Mary.  The Mary we know from the flagship program is sweet, and hopeful, and resourceful, and very capable.  I could absolutely believe that the Mary portrayed by Samantha Smith or Amy Gumenick could both kill a monster and struggle to break out of the life she was raised in, and absolutely, 100% want out of that life and apply to Kansas State University behind everyone’s back (just like someone else we know!)  Donnelly’s Mary just feels like a Claire Novak rip-off.  Which was a weird choice to make, and I guess they could try to justify by being like Oh, well this is a Mary from another universe, but that’s not gonna fly.  We got a Mary that could certainly kill monsters, but otherwise doesn’t really feel like Mary Winchester at all.

Then there’s John, portrayed by Drake Rodger.  He was my favorite of the main cast, and the one who seems to be the true protagonist, which I noted earlier.  Rodger had mentioned having watched the original show, and he has that sort of gentle giant quality that Sam had, and even does a good job of picking up on some of his mannerisms that make him at least feel like a Winchester.  Does he feel like John?  I mean…that’s harder to say than it was with Donnelly’s Mary.  We know from the original show that John before hunting was a pretty different guy.  He was probably struggling with PTSD after his tour, but Mary repeatedly refers to him as a sweet, open person, so I can believe that this John could be more like Sam: generally a very nice, gentle guy who you need to watch out for when he’s angry or scared.  As far as performances go, he did pretty well – or, as well as he could, considering the writing.

So, yeah, I’m not gonna pin the show’s downfall on the acting because that wasn’t it.  And I’m not gonna pin it on the crew, either.  Sure, the special effects and editing weren’t always great, but they weren’t always the best on the original show, either.

This is a project that never should have been greenlit, for one reason because it would have saved that crew member from getting struck by lightning.  The crew member sued, naming Ackles and the other producers in the lawsuit along with the network for not following proper safety measures.  Director John Showalter, a Supernatural alum, decided he wanted a scene shot in the rain, even though there was lightning in the vicinity.  The show had already dealt with reshoots and short filming windows, so Showalter, the producers, and the network decided to risk everyone’s safety, and a crew member literally got struck by lightning and woke up in the emergency room.  I hope he gets a giant settlement.

It also shouldn’t have been greenlit not just because it was apparently poorly run and unsafe (which, really, is the worst thing about all this – the show’s not even good, and you’re endangering people for it), but because it was a petty little vanity project.  Jensen Ackles just couldn’t let it go, couldn’t stand that he wasn’t the protagonist, and had to try to get in one last word.

But he couldn’t do it.  He was never going to be able to do it.  This wasn’t a project driven by love of storytelling, but by spite.  He wanted everyone to be thinking Where’s Dean?  How does Dean fit into this?  What’s he doing there?  He didn’t want to explore this weird, difficult relationship, or the original show’s major theme of autonomy; he just wanted attention.  That’s what comes through in all of this because the story itself doesn’t matter.  If these characters don’t reveal anything about the original characters or story, then it doesn’t matter, and it’s certainly not written or performed or produced well enough to make it matter. Why should I care about this John and Mary? I don't know, and the show doesn't, either.

And the kicker is that all of Dean’s voiceover bits are stupid cliches, it doesn’t make sense how he even got himself into this mess, and it all still comes back around to Sam in the end, anyway.  So there was literally no point.  It was all a waste of time and money and a man got struck by lightning.

This show was doomed from the start.  Dead, done, and dusted before it even made it to your screen.

[asphodelles]

Hi, I found your work on Twitter last year and I really love and look up to your art. If you have the time, I wanted to as if there are there any study topics, artists or techniques that have significantly influenced you :')

I'm at a bit of a complete loss on what to study presently so I thought I'd ask my favorite artists, thank you for reading and I completely understand if this is too open ended a question

Thank you!

This isn't the first time I have been asked this question and I suspect this won't be the last so I'll just lay everything out here. Go to a cafe or get a blanket or something because this will not be a short read:

Foundational:

Anatomy: A lot of my foundational anatomy and clothing illustration knowledge was gained from taking classes and doing observational drawing. Because of this, I'm not going to have the best book recommendations but top 2 books I can recommend for getting Started started are Andrew Loomis or RockHe Kim's books on anatomy (huge asterisk here: they're good at teaching you Basics basics like muscle groups and turning forms and extremely general proportions but will not help that much with making your figure drawings less stiff or how to draw fat or especially in the latter's case how to draw women not built like stick bug anime girls but uh I heard the Morpho books are pretty good. genuinely everything I know about drawing fat is from observational drawing/studies because at some point I got sick of my school for only hiring skinny models in their 20s-30s). I have some diagrams drawn by my friend who studied the hell out of these guys below:

Clothing: I don't know any books that can really help on this front I apologize if I find any I'll update this post but pretty much all of my knowledge on drawing clothes boils down to the following rules: Where are the tension points, how stiff or soft is the textile, how is the form underneath the section of clothing behaving, and don't make even spaces between fold groups

All of this is kind of moot though if it isn't applied through study or observational drawing though

Design:

I have to be really careful here because I don't want to deal in absolutes, the only absolute I'm confident espousing is that anyone who tells you there is only a small selection of methods you should follow to execute a specific type of design are objectively incorrect and just haven't figured out alternative if not more effective design solutions to a common problem. The only real Worst Thing I think you could do as a designer is create a pinterest mannequin devoid of a story, disconnected from its context in the world, and lacking in a clear purpose/personality but this too could be easily be disputed if maximising a character’s aesthetic appeal serves a purpose in its context, and my opposition to this design approach is my personal bias as a character designer for entertainment where emphasizing a character’s function and their relationship to said function is usually the goal

I think the 5 best pieces of advice I've ever received when it comes to designing characters are the following:

Try and follow the rule of thirds/general gestalt design principles of contrast

Always consider what it is you're trying to communicate with the character

Create believable transitions and reinforcements between points of interest

(Entertainment related) KISS principle/Keep It Simple, Stupid is your friend, the way a character wears or wields what they wear or wield will communicate their role in the world (who are they?), their relationship to their role (do they like their job? are they good at it? are they a part of an organization with the means to provide them things to perform their role more effectively?) effectively enough. Excessive information that bloats and conflicts with the communication objective weakens design (example: My favourite childhood toy for years was a pokemon plushie. Would I as a stay at home digital artist be wearing it as a keychain on my crusty paint stained polyester pajama pants when I'm at my desk working my job? is wearing it relevant to my character as a person who both no longer is invested in pokemon and is in this context focused entirely on comfort and doing my job? (no)). I think Elden Ring is an excellent example of a game that has visually complex designs but pretty expedient storytelling with its characters for worldbuilding

Study things that aren't just character design, to borrow from Lynn Yaeger borrowing from Sally Singer "If you're interested in fashion learn everything except fashion... Politics, art, painting- anything except fashion". Because people in different disciplines who work with different mediums or fields of study approach problems in different angles you may not have considered which can help give new ideas + often times the stuff you like was inspired by stuff that isn't at all what you would expect or enjoy yourself (To pull from a very popular example, Arcane is a League of Legends joint which was highly influenced by Warcraft which was highly influenced by Warhammer which was basically a giant response to western pop culture of the 1960s and the history of European warfare something something coconut tree).

Character design is kind of a hard thing to Get Good at considering how much of the actual process is super psychological/not bound by a *ton* of absolutes and has to account for medium and function (you kind of just have to have The Sauce) so I don't recommend Just studying independently only (possible, just very difficult). If you can and are interested in learning more about the specifics take some classes taught by people whose styles you fw who both know what they're doing and are good at explaining their process. For design for entertainment you can always check out Concept Design Academy or The Workshop Academy and see who's teaching there

As far as artist inspirations are concerned I think looking up the artists who worked on projects you like are a good starting point to figure out how you want to stylize. Going off of that at least currently my favourite designers/illustrators for entertainment with The Sauce are probably Evening Monteiro, Sergey Kolesov, Mindy Lee, Tonci Zonjic, Sasha Tudvaseva, Claire Hummel, and Yoshitaka Amano

My favourite book currently for tackling character design at least from a narrative consideration is probably Talking Threads: Costume Design for Entertainment Art (one of the authors is my friend and an excellent teacher!) and a lot of the stuff they espouse really helps to take into consideration individual and external factors when designing a character/how they can be used as vehicles for both individual storytelling and worldbuilding, gigantic reference point for my most recent casual project

Besides that the only other way I can really recommend studying character design is to just look at art, history, architecture, nature (pretty much Everything) and think about how ideas and concepts from those things can be applied to or communicated through a design or figure out what it was about a design or designs you like made it appealing

uhh tldr this is just how i as one among millions of artists got to where i am today as of January 16th 2025 my word is not gospel the advice I espoused here may very well spell my downfall tomorrow

[isabeauwolf]

Law x Plus Size Nurse Reader 5

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 5: Misunderstandings

You had seen Ikkaku in passing several times, even giving each other basic greetings, but this was the first time you two had actually sat down and talked.

The woman had dark brown curly hair, tied into a thick braid running down her back and light brown eyes.

You knew she was a part of Law's main team. An impressive feat in its own right since the renowned Surgeon would become busy with his own tasks and work, both his skills in the operating room and duties as the Chef and owner of the hospital itself.

After eating lunch and talking with an extra ten minutes to spare, you decided to ask Ikkaku for advice since she was closer to Law. "Has doctor grumpy always been such a pain in the ass?" You ask, lowering your voice and covering the side of your mouth with your hand. "I swear it feels as if he's even more of a grouch when I'm around."

Ikkaku's lips pressed into a thin line as she snorted through her nose, covering her mouth as a string of giggles slipped out. "Boy, you're as blunt and honest as they come, aren't you?"

"What's wrong with that?" You lower your hand and sip your drink, shrugging. "I hate lying, even white lies." Leaning your elbow on the table and resting your cheek in the palm of your hand. "Besides my poker face sucks."

Ikkaku hums and asks a question of her own. "So what happened early this morning?" Her eyes twinkled with interest, smile widening. "Heard you gave Cap a stern talkin' to and stripped down naked in front of him and the rest of the onlookers."

You blushed bright red and cringed. "I wasn't completely buck assed naked." You correctly, covering your heated face. "Still had my bra and underwear on. It was an impulse; I was hangry and tired." You sighed. "I don't get it. Law could have asked anybody else, but he kept pushing and pushing." You ranted. "I wanted to shut him up, wipe that stupid, smug and sexy assed smirk off his face..." Your eyes widened. "Shit. Forget I said that."

Ikkaku raised a brow, her smile widening into a smirk. "From what I've heard from Pen and Shachi you certainly are an interesting person." She reached over and lightly pat your hand. "Besides being confidant in your own skin like that takes a lot of guts." Her bright smile returning, it's genuine. "You aren't ashamed of your own beauty, which I think a lot more woman need in their lives." She pulls away. "It's inspiring really."

"Thanks." You lowered your hand and gave her a smile. "Took a lot of years to feel comfortable about my body not being like a super model. To learn to love myself first." You finished your coffee and sighed. "Self-love is best love, isn't it?"

"Hell yeah it is." Ikkaku stood and picked up her tray.

You followed, throwing away your trashed and returning the red reusable tray on the cart beside the trashcan.

Ikkaku pulled out a pen and small notebook. "Oh, here's my number if you ever want to talk, hang out or nag about Cap some more." She tears it off and offers it to you. "I know he can be a handful, but he's not all scowls, mopey, and emotionally constipated."

You took it. "You mean he can smile?" You joke, laughing. "And not look like his face is permanently frozen with the world's worst hangover and resting bitch face?"

You both laugh and cackle loud, drawing the attention of Penguin, Shachi and Law himself.

You tear off a piece of the paper and give her your number in return, smiling. "Here and thanks for talking with me. I appreciate it." You shoved you hand inside the front of your pocket, pulling out your phone. You had a few missed calls from both Nami and Robin, even Gramps. "I love my job. I love helping people." You explained, smile dimming. "It's because of my friends that I've worked so hard to become a nurse... and yet... it feels as if I've done something to keep pissing off Cap and I don't know what I did?" You admitted, grip tightening on your phone. "If he wants to fire me or has a problem with me, I wish...." You pause and sighed, frowning. "I wish... he'd tell me to my face instead of pussyfooting around and scowling about it."

That made all four of them pause. Then again, none of them could blame you for thinking such a thing about how the boss has been treating you. Out of the four, you knew Trafalgar Law the least. You picked up a few of his mannerisms, speech patterns and habits, but nothing more. Nothing too personal or intimate, nothing out of the norm for a boss and his coworker.

Ikkaku opened her mouth to offer encouragement when Law spoke first. "L/n may I see you in my office, please?"

You jumped in fright, half turning and meeting Law's molten silvers. "Jesus, Cap. Can you please not sneak up on me like a ninja or something." You place your hand over your heart and take a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Make some damn noise wouldya?"

"Sorry." He replied and nodded his head towards outside the cafeteria. "Follow me, please."

"Sure." You mutter, staring back at Ikkaku who offered you a thumbs up and a smile.

Well, shit. How much of my trash talking and bitching did he hear? Did you really overstep and push him too hard this morning and before lunch time? Was the dessert me offered you out of pity or sympathy? A good deed before shoving you out the door?

The more you thought about it. The larger your stomach dropped and knots twisting in your gut, anxiety crawling and spreading like tiny ants. Calm down. It's fine. It's all going to be fine. It's not the end of the world... if Law fires you today... right? Okay. You lied. It would suck so bad. Being fired by your crush would hurt worse than a papercut and getting lemon juice and salt dumped onto the wound.

In a flash you two were in front of Law's office.

Your eyes trailed up Law's back, licking your lips as you settled your nerves and clenched your fists tight. It's now or never. You took a deep breath and muttered sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Doctor Trafalgar." You closed your eyes, tears prickling at the corners.

You didn't see the taller man pause, his inked hand tightening hard on the door handle, muscles bunching and straining underneath his shirt. The complete definition of shock written all over his face as he twirled and snuck a glance at you. You were trembling and your eyes were closed, close to bursting into tears. Why?

Law swallowed, his heart ached in his chest and his face softening into a deep frown before remasking it. "What?" He cleared his throat and tried again. "What are you apologizing for, L/n?" Facing the door and opening it.

You opened your eyes, a trail of tears falling. "You..." You whisper softly, you sounded pathetic and broken even to your own ears.

"I'm what?" Law asked. Resisting everything in his body to remain standing perfectly still, in complete control and resist the need to reach for you and cradle you into his chest. Whisper sweet words until you calm down. Instead, he waited.

Waiting to hear whatever you had to say.

You sniffed, rubbing your cheek with the back of your hand. "You're firing me aren't you, Trafalgar?" Great, Law had been you cry twice today.

Law's eyes widened as his heartbeat stilled, and he forgot how to breath. "Wh-?" The Surgeon genuinely appeared confused, searching for any sign of a prank or a lie. He found none. You. You honestly believed that he was going to fire you. "Why?" He asked in a breathless whisper before speaking louder. "What could have possibly given you that conclusion?" His shock was replaced with anger, his jaw tightened as he took a deep breath and tried to bite back a seething glare. "Did someone mention something?"

You shook your head. "No, sir."

Law knew you were being polite and minding your manners. He's your boss. Your superior. You were using his last name and giving him proper respect. He knew that. And yet, it felt foreign and wrong coming from your mouth. The Surgeon was so used to your sassy comebacks and banter, your playful jabs and silly nicknames for him that hearing you call him by his last name didn't sit well with him.

Not at all.

It felt as if you two had gone back to level zero, two years back in time to when you first started working here.

He absolutely didn't like it.

He wanted bang his head against his office door. What the hell had you done to him? He should be the one apologizing to you. Not the other way around! Law had been an ass all day, though it wasn't his intention. He wanted to spend more time with you. Get closer to you. His pride and awkwardness got in the way, so Law had done what he'd always had whenever he was nervous... he'd become stiff, snarky and snippy. Even when he wanted to slap himself in the face or shambles himself away with his devil fruit.

He could work days without sleep, hours in the operating room or doing boring paperwork and re-reading his notes and textbooks until he was completely exhausted and yet... he couldn't tell you how he felt yet. He didn't want to push you. Here he was going it anyway.

Couldn't he do anything right? Or normal? Why couldn't you see that seeing you hurt, distressed or in pain hurt him too? Why did love and matters of the heart have to be so complicated, so messy?

Law sighed, running his free hand through his unruly thick black hair and opened the door wider before stepping aside, holding it open. "Just... Just get in and sit down, please, L/n..." He met your questioning gaze and noticed your hesitation. "I'm not firing you." He pressed gently as he could. "If I did, I would have done it on the spot and not in my office."

Oh, you heard stories alright of Law losing his temper and nearly cutting a guy in half for being a complete dick both to Law himself, his staff and coincidentally to you. You think that's the only time you had been Law so enraged, so murderous, losing his cool and his temper over something that guy had said.

You'd never forget a guy as huge and creepy as Law's adoptive Uncle Doflamingo Donquixote or his adoptive father and Doflamingo's younger brother, Rosinante Donquixote. Two giant blonde men with opposite personalities, both raising Law. Since both had no children of their own Law had been named their heir and successor to the Donquixote fortune and titles. Or so you've heard.

It's another reason why Doctor Trafalgar Law is so crabby, so guarded and closed off.

You don't blame him. You imagine a lot of people have tried to get closes to the Doctor to win his favorite or get connections to the big, feathered brothers through Law.

You only met them once or twice during the hospitals Christmas and New Years banquet on your way out the door after leaving work. Even as someone as tall as Law looked like a dwarf compared to those two.

Shaking your head you slowly walked inside Law's office, past him and sat down in one of the fancy, brown leather chairs. God, you hated these chairs. They made you feel fat, as if you were sitting inside a kiddy chair and feared you'd embarrass yourself and get stuck. Like you needed Law to help you get out of it. Oh yeah, real sexy. You scoot to the edge of the seat, literally a smidge of your ass touching the seat, pressing your thick thighs together and folded your hands into your lap, sat up-straight and prayed to God whatever the hell this was would go by fast.

---- End of Chapter 5 -----

I know, I know reader is dense as f and Law is overly stubborn, but don't worry it will be worth it! I promise! Did you like how I snuck in Doffy and Rosi? ;) I had to! Gimme your thoughts, my lovelies!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

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[kishiar-la-orr]

not incredibly well-thought because i'm just typing down thoughts briefly but

to me, the first timeline is the slightly less fairy tale-like version. the second timeline can be called a fix-it, an everything-goes-right, a best case scenario, which needed a grand plot device in the form of yuder regressing in order to happen at all. there must be tons and tons of different versions of first timeline where some things go right, some things also go wrong, in different ways whether miniscule or catastrophic. its not the worst though. things could go even worse, im sure.

there's a lot of takes surrounding first timeline kishiar with differing points. (also, as you know, im a glazer). and after running through a lot of them, it just makes me think that personally, a novel so nuanced and with a lot of complex interpersonal and intrapersonal happenings like turning needs to be approached with good faith and compassion. in my experience, doing that helps maximize my enjoyment of it.

second timeline kishiar is a 'green flag ML', yes, but he can only run because first timeline kishiar walked. what is turning if not about love and humanity? and the thing about loving while being human is, love doesnt stay pure all the time. sometimes its twisted, sometimes its murky. sometimes even when the love is pure, the communication gets lost in the middle. love happens even when people have a lot of difficult situations in their lives or even when they think they're not in a good place to be loving other people. first timeline yuder was also still green and less mature than second timeline yuder, a lot less equipped in many ways. second timeline yuder himself also needed to mature a lot before he could properly begin a relationship with second timeline kishiar that's grounded in trust and the expression of genuine care.

so many factors are being taken into consideration when writing turning, i think. thats why it becomes such a beautiful piece of work that can touch the hearts of many people, with characters and storylines that resonate with a lot of the fans. i find that it's turning's biggest charm. first timeline kishiar isn't a perfect victim nor a perfect 'toxic ex-boyfriend'. he tried his best and his best still had repercussions that are less than ideal for the people he loved whom he left behind. of course, there's also the fact that the story is mostly written through the main character yuder's perspective. i think i enjoy turning the most when i can see it through this type of lens, trying to keep in mind where the characters are coming from and empathize with them and taking the novel (as all fictions are) as a lesson in humanity.

[codenamethebird]

Ok here's a little (not really) analysis/theory post about Hades 2, because I'm obsessed. Its consumed all my thoughts. And I need to talk about a theme I think will (hopefully) be addressed as the game progresses.

Here's some examples of dialogue that starts to touch on this conflict between mortals and the gods. What exactly do mortals deserve? We also have literal Icarus "flew too close to the sun" here too (and probably Pandora). Chronos was able to sway many to his side with a promise of a golden age without the gods, which is presented by the narrative as a foolish venture. And not saying it isn't, or that Chronos is the secret good guy here, but I believe Chronos is taking advantage of a very real hurt that exists for mortals.

This line from Nemesis really stood out to me, because it implies that while mortals have a concept of evil, the gods don't. Which sounds ridiculous but the more you think about it makes total sense. The gods in Hades (and just greek myth in general), are kind of the worst. They are petty and selfish, they literally attack you if their boon isn't picked first, and most vitally in this context, often utterly disregard mortals.

For example, one of the things that drove me a little crazy in Hades 1, was how chill everyone was with Demeter's never ending winter. Demeter was killing possibly millions upon millions of mortals and everyone else just sort of let it happen. Maybe complained a bit because it was annoying to them, but just stood by. And that's just one example. Mortal's have a very valid reason to hate the gods.

And considering we have more areas of the surface to explore that aren't out yet, I have a feeling Melinoë is going to be meeting some of these discontent mortals. And my hope is they are going to be nuanced characters, that will challenge Melinoë not just in a fight, but her very ideals.

Because Melinoë is very deferential to the gods, waaaaaay more that Zag ever was. Unlike Zag, who was more like a bro to them and was willing to suck up to them for personal gain, Melinoë seems to genuinely mean all the respect she gives them. She praises them, defends them when they are insulted, and just generally very polite to them.

In a smaller scale, she describes Hypnos as having a wisdom about him and can somehow sense her intensions while asleep. Which as Nem implies, the version in Melinoë's head doesn't exactly line up with reality (though sidebar, I am a believer in Chekov's Hypnos and that he's going to somehow save the day and put Chronos in a never ending sleep or something, but that's beside the point haha).

Melinoë's reverence to the gods makes total sense of course. She was denied her family and a happy childhood, and because of that has glorified them all in her head. The Olympians are sending her vital aid on her holy mission for vengeance and to save her family, even as their own home is being attacked, how honorable of them!

And I think part of Melinoë's arc is that perfect picture of them breaking into pieces. Yes, they are the better of the two options between them and Chronos, but that doesn't mean they aren't also kind of the worst. That mortals deserve better than frivolous gods that can decide on a whim their fates for better or worse (love u Moros but I'm still fucked up over you and your sisters giving mortals horrible doom endings when you were bored. At least he feels bad now but still. Perfect example of gods even when not intending to having horrific consequences for mortals). And maybe like how Zag healed relations with his family, Melinoë can start repairing relations between the Gods and Mortals.

[k9punkout]

AND IF I SAID THAT ivan's perception of till's determination and hostility was generally wrong and unintentionally undermining of his actual mental instability. IF I SAID THAT this pov rubbed off on the fandom and plays into several till mischaracterizations. WHAT THEN.

okay so hear me out on this one. ivan's acknowledged that he could never quite understand till like he could all the other children. everyone else fell into a sort of pattern, a puzzle that can be solved with a simple analysis and adapted behavior. everyone except till.

till was no solvable puzzle. all the pieces to him were distorted, broken, missing. a living hurricane, a walking contradiction. he was gentle in his violence, quiet in his loudness, complex in his simplicity. ivan could get no true read on him, and that's why he grew so drawn to him.

and while i do believe that till is just an eccentric and unpredictable person at heart, a large part of his chaotic nature is due to his trauma. his rapid and intense mood swings, his aggressive behavior, his easily overwhelmed mind, his fluctuating ego, and many other aspects to him are all signs of abuse related mental instability. ivan saw all of that, witnessed all the abuse and all its side effects, but it never really struck him that holy shit, this guy needs psychological help.

and it's not like that's HIS fault either. Ivan was never really taught how people work, he learned via absorbing how the other children interacted instead (which isn't really efficient, he's no mind reader or anything). i wouldn't be surprised if he had no clue that mental illness even EXISTED; he always referred to himself and sua as simply "twisted" rather than trying to figure out if they could be helped or fixed, or WHY they stood out from the others.

he never even questioned his own hatred for himself. he simply thought it was reasonable, because of course, who wouldn't hate a monster like him? once someone knows who he is deep down, there is no redeeming quality that he can genuinely exhibit to exonerate himself from his rotten, detached mindset. in his mind, he deserves the isolation.

ivan truly sees himself as the worst person in the world, which makes till, by comparison, simply a confusing kid who isn't scared to fight back. ivan thinks till's willpower stems from great mental strength rather than desperation and fear. this would lead him to both misinterpret till's actions and overestimate his mental strength, all while underestimating how rapidly his sanity is withering.

this is shown quite a few times around the series. in "Confession," he refers to till as the "victim of his shallow emotions," demonizing himself and painting till as his victim. as if till could do no harm. as if till was the ONLY victim here. (i can't stop thinking about how much till would've hated that word. victim.)

in a slightly more elaborate retranslation of Cure that someone on this app did (i tried to find it but i sadly couldn't), the word "scars" ("even if your cruel words carve scars beneath my eyes") was said to be better translated into "scratches." a flesh wound. nothing debilitating, nothing severe, just painful for a while, and then gone. insignificant. the harm he inflicts is insignificant compared to everything else that he is.

i'll stick around, i'll stay, because the bruises we leave on each other are nothing compared to the spark he ignites within me.

till punches and kicks and screams and snarls, and to ivan, it's no problem, just something that makes him unique. he'd do anything to see him fight. so what if he gets caught in the crossfire? so what if he's killed while he's at it? it's all worth it. till could just continue on without him, it'd be so easy. he's strong, he never cared for him all that much anyway.

till is unpredictable, till is unique. it's just the way things work. nothing about it needs to be changed. the destruction he causes to himself and to others doesn't need to be fixed, it's already perfect. he's perfect, in all his imperfections.

THATS where the toxicity lies in ivantill. not because ivan is totally possessive and wants till to belong to him and only him or whatever some of the fandom says. but because ivan so obsessed with till that he'll die for him while calling him his victim. that he'll acknowledge till's hostile behavior and his quickness to rage and violence and consider it something to be loved rather than concerned about or feared. he'll hone in on his own flaws, never acknowledging till's, never seeing how they're destroying EACH OTHER, and exclusively focusing on the harm that HE'S done to till.

it's why ivan was always bothering him. he wanted to see him lose his temper, wanted him to fight and struggle. (more often than not, this was a good thing, as it often happened whenever till was sad/out of it, but just because something's beneficial in the moment doesn't mean it makes for a healthy relationship).

of course, none of this means that ivan DIDNT want till to be happy. he wouldn't have tried to escape with him if that was the case. he liked seeing till angry, but not any more than he hated seeing till miserable. despite not quite understanding him, he still wanted the best for that boy.

i think ivans warped perspective affected the way many people characterize till. a lot of people treat him as a more gentle person than he is in canon, and while it's true that he's mentally weak, he'd never cower in the face of someone stronger than him, like many people seem to think. he's vulnerable in the explosive and reactive sense, not in the powerless and delicate sense.

so far, we've gotten so much of ivans perspective of till that people seem to forget that he literally committed a murder in round 2. and he looked REALLY happy abt that shit. my mans freddy was a father of two and till did NOT care. not to mention that he didn't even spare acorn a GLANCE the entire round.

idk man the guy's a lil cuckoo loca we might need to remember that

[lisalamona]

𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 - IV

Chapter IV: Open Arms

. Summary: Despite your brother's insistence, you stubbornly decided to join him and his men in the war. Now, are you prepared to face the consequences of your actions? . Pairing: Various x Fem! Reader (platonic) . Warnings: graphic depictions of violence, death, trauma, and other sensitive content. . Notes: I'm starting to upload this story here on tumblr, I am really sorry for clogging the tags.

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Masterlist

The forest around you felt almost enchanted, the air rich with the scent of damp earth and something faintly sweet from the glowing fruits hanging from the trees. The dim rays of the setting sun filtered through the canopy, casting soft, golden light that danced with the faint bioluminescence of the undergrowth. Your torch, lit not long ago, flickered gently, its warm light blending with the natural glow of the forest. It was a scene that should have felt peaceful—almost dreamlike. But the tension in Odysseus's posture told an entirely different story.

The three of you walked in a comfortable silence, though even in the quiet, you could feel the weight pressing on him. He wasn't just tense because you were on an unknown island; his mind seemed to churn with burdens that had been piling up for years. The war—which he thanked the gods was won. What happened on that balcony back in Troy. The dwindling rations. The growing difficulty of managing his weary crew. And, though he never said it aloud, the constant, gnawing worry for your safety and wellbeing that hasn't left him since you'd all left Ithaca ten years ago.

The silence finally broke when Polites nudged a fallen branch out of the path with his foot. "Try to relax, my friend," he said, his tone light but deliberate.

Odysseus blinked, pulled abruptly from his thoughts. "Huh?"

Polites chuckled and shook his head. "I said, try to relax. I can tell you're getting nervous. Do yourself a favor and unclench before you scare the life out of the next poor animal that crosses our path."

Odysseus shot him an unamused glare. "I'm fine, Polites."

"Fine?" Polites raised an eyebrow. "If this is your version of fine, I'd hate to see you tense."

You couldn't help but smirk as you added, "Polites is right. You look like you're gearing up to fight a bear—or at least glare it into submission."

Though you couldn't exactly claim to be carefree yourself, walking alongside people you trusted with your life kept the worst of your worries at bay. The serene beauty of the forest helped, too. The shimmering plants and softly glowing fruits were a sight you'd never seen before, and you allowed yourself a moment to admire them.

Polites, however, was not letting Odysseus off the hook. "Aw, come on, Ody!" He slipped into a mock-serious tone, squaring his shoulders and furrowing his brow in exaggerated imitation. "'Hey, look at me! I'm the captain. Alright, listen up!'"

Odysseus stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at Polites. "What?"

Polites grinned. "That's what you sound like!"

Odysseus shook his head, muttering, "I don't sound like that."

You laughed, unable to resist joining in. "Oh, you absolutely do."

"I don't!" Odysseus insisted, looking genuinely offended now.

"You do," you said, smirking. "I've known you my whole life, brother. I believe I know what you sound like."

For a moment, Odysseus looked between the two of you, clearly debating whether to argue further. Then, with a dramatic sigh, he shook his head. "I'm starting to regret bringing you rwo along"

Polites clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "You'll thank us when we make it home in one piece. And anyway, we should be celebrating! We're close, Ody. After everything we've been through, don't you think we deserve a moment to breathe?"

Odysseus glanced ahead, where the forest path seemed to open up into a clearing, the light growing brighter. For a moment, the corner of his mouth twitched upward—barely—but it was enough to hint at a smile. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Polites groaned, throwing his hands in the air.

You couldn't help but laugh as the three of you pressed on.

Polites clapped Odysseus on the shoulder as they walked. "Come on, Ody, think about it—look at everything we've been through. We've survived worse than this, haven't we? We'll survive whatever comes next too."

Odysseus didn't answer immediately, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword as his eyes scanned the forest around them.

Polites sighed, his tone softening. "I get it. You're tired of the war and the bloodshed. We all are. But is this really how we're supposed to live? Always on edge, bracing for the next fight?" He gestured to Odysseus's hand. "The way you're gripping that sword... it's like you expect the trees to attack you." Odysseus's gaze flicked to his sword as if noticing it for the first time.

He gave him a sharp look, but Polites didn't back down. "What if, instead of taking, we focused on giving for a change? You know, showing people we trust them instead of expecting the worst all the time? Sometimes, lowering your guard is the strongest thing you can do."

You chimed in, catching onto Polites's attempt to lighten the mood. "He's right, you know. We've been given a chance to adjust, to breathe. Maybe we should take it."

Polites grinned, spreading his arms dramatically. "See? Even your sister agrees. Come on, Ody, give it a try—it's not that hard."

Odysseus huffed, shaking his head, but there was the faintest flicker of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You two are impossible."

"And you're insufferable," you shot back with a grin.

Polites laughed. "Ah, but at least we're keeping you grounded. Admit it, Captain—you'd be lost without us."

"Sure," Odysseus muttered, but his tone had lightened just enough to make the forest feel a little less heavy.

The three of you fell into another comfortable silence, the rhythmic crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot the only sound accompanying your steps. But as the glowing forest around you shifted and swayed in the dimming light, memories stirred in your mind. You glanced around, the bioluminescent flora and the gentle rustle of the trees tugging at threads of your past.

"Do you know what this reminds me of?" you said suddenly, breaking the quiet. You gestured around with a sweep of your arm, inviting them to take in the forest as you did.

Both Polites and Odysseus turned their heads toward you, their curiosity piqued. That was your signal to continue.

"Do you remember, back home, when we'd run through the forest, looking for the biggest threat we could find? Well..." You smirked, tilting your head toward Odysseus. "You would run, and we'd follow."

Odysseus raised an eyebrow, already bracing himself for the jab he could sense coming.

You rolled your eyes, the memory vivid enough to draw a chuckle. "And by 'follow,' I mean you'd never let us get anywhere close to the action. You'd be charging ahead, all brave and daring, while we were stuck five paces behind, trying to keep up."

Your smile widened at the thought, but there was no denying the exasperation that lingered even after all these years. "You've always been like that—overprotective to a fault. Back then, it was all, 'Stay here, it's too dangerous.' And now? Well... not much has changed, has it?"

You cast him a teasing glance, but there was a warmth in your tone that softened the jab. As frustrating as it had been, you couldn't ignore the fact that his protectiveness had kept you safe more times than you could count. Not that you'd ever admit it to his face.

Odysseus let out a huff, somewhere between amusement and exasperation. "Someone had to make sure you didn't get into trouble."

Polites snorted, chiming in with a grin. "Trouble? You mean like the time you nearly fell off a cliff while we were the ones actually following orders?"

"That was one time," Odysseus shot back, his tone defensive but his lips twitching with a reluctant smile.

"Or that time you almost got obliterated by that giant boar?" You added on.

Odysseus gave a half-hearted glare, though the corner of his mouth twitched as if fighting a smile. "I wasn't about to let you two get hurt. Someone had to make sure you didn't get yourselves killed."

"Uh-ha"

Odysseus sighed, shaking his head as if resigning himself to your teasing. "Somebody has to keep you alive. Clearly, it's still me."

Polites grinned, chiming in. "Oh! don't forget the stories we'd make up to explain why we came back covered in mud and scratches. 'Oh, it was a mighty beast! Twice as tall as a man!'" He mimed a dramatic stance, making you laugh harder.

Odysseus finally cracked a smile, albeit a small one. "And mother didn't believe a word of it."

"She never did," you said, shaking your head fondly. "But she still let us tell our tales anyway. I think she liked hearing them, even if she pretended to be angry."

For a moment, the three of you walked on in silence, but this time, the quiet was filled with the warmth of shared memories rather than the weight of present worries. The forest seemed less ominous, its glow a little more welcoming, as if it, too, remembered simpler times.

After what felt like hours of weaving through the dense, glowing forest, you finally stepped into a clearing. The open space was a relief after the close, tangled pathways, but your purpose remained sharp in your mind. You had been searching for signs of life, for the people who were said to inhabit this mysterious island.

Cautiously, the three of you approached the edge of the clearing, each step deliberate, your eyes scanning every shadow and flicker of light. But as you drew closer, your hope began to waver. The space was eerily quiet—too quiet. There were no signs of movement, no voices carried on the breeze, no footprints in the soft soil.

Once you were fully in the clearing, the absence of life became undeniable. Nothing. Not a single soul, nor even the faintest hint that anyone had ever set foot here.

The three of you ventured toward the center, driven by a stubborn determination to uncover something—anything. You looked around, searching for a clue, a trace, a whisper of proof that this wasn't just another dead end. But no matter how hard you looked, your efforts were fruitless.

You broke the silence first, his voice low. "Well, this is... disappointing."

"Welcome."

The word echoed through the forest, but it wasn't one voice—it was a chorus, like a hundred tiny voices speaking in perfect unison. It sent a chill down your spine. The three of you whipped around in unison toward the source of the sound, your hearts pounding.

Odysseus was the first to react. Without a word, he stepped in front of you and Polites, his protective instincts kicking in like second nature. His hand flew to the hilt of his sword, and in one smooth motion, it was free form his side, the steel glinting faintly in the glow of the forest. He held the blade steady, pointing it toward the shadows from which the voices had come.

Out of the shadows emerged tiny creatures. At first, their shapes were hard to make out, but as they stepped into the faint glow of your torch, their features became clear. They looked remarkably like cats—except they walked upright on two legs and were slightly shorter than an average feline.

Their fur was a soft, brownish-gray, blending effortlessly with the forest's earthy tones. But what stood out the most—what truly caught and held your attention—were their eyes. Vibrant violet orbs gleamed in stark contrast to their muted coats, glowing faintly as if lit from within.

The creatures gazed up at the three of you, their faces seemingly locked in curious, almost playful smiles. They appeared utterly unfazed by the sword Odysseus was still pointing in their direction, either not understanding the gesture or not caring enough to react.

Polites broke the silence first, lowering his dagger slightly and tilting his head. "Uh...what are they?"

You stared, torn between disbelief and amusement. "I... have no idea."

Odysseus, however, wasn't lowering his guard. His grip on the sword remained firm, his sharp gaze darting between the strange creatures. "They certainly don't look like a threat," you ventured, though your voice carried more curiosity than certainty.

One of the creatures took a step forward, its tiny paw-like hand raised as if in greeting. It tilted its head and smiled wider, the violet of its eyes seeming to shimmer as it chirped, "Welcome."

"Stay back." The grip on Odysseus's sword tightened, if that was even possible. The small creatures echoed his demand.

You couldn't help but crack a small smile, though you kept your distance. "They don't seem dangerous," you said, casting a quick glance at Odysseus.

His stance remained defensive. "They don't seem like anything yet," he replied. "But that doesn't mean we should trust them. We're only here for food."

"Food."

At the word, the small creatures froze, their wide, glowing eyes shimmering with a mix of wonder and recognition. Their tiny faces lit up.

You weren't sure if they fully understood what he meant, but there was no mistaking the reaction. They recognized the word, perhaps even its significance, though their excitement made it hard to discern if it was joy, curiosity, or something else entirely.

"Six hundred friends are waiting for us to show our faces," Odysseus said, his voice low and wary.

"Food," the creatures chanted in unison, their voices eerie, almost melodic. The sound echoed through the trees, sending a chill down your spine.

A few of them tried to inch closer, but they froze the moment your brother raised his sword in a clear warning. His stance was unyielding, the blade gleaming in the faint light. Odysseus's eyes darted between the creatures, his body a shield between them and you.

"Stay back," he barked, his voice sharp and commanding. "I'm warning you."

You weren't sure if Odysseus didn't understand that these creatures probably didn't comprehend a word he was saying, or if his nerves had gotten the better of him. Either way, he seemed determined to make himself clear, even if the threats fell on deaf ears.

"Food," they repeated, the word somehow more insistent this time, as though they were trying to communicate something. One of them—a smaller, fluffier one—tilted its head, its wide, glowing eyes fixed on Odysseus. Then it opened its mouth and made exaggerated chomping motions, adding a series of "num num num" sounds for emphasis.

You couldn't tell if it was mimicking some human habit or simply giving in to its own hunger at the mention of food. Either way, it was adorable.

"If we don't get back safely," Odysseus said, his voice cold and deliberate, "my men will turn this place into blazes."

"Friend, we just talked about this. Greet the words with open arms," Polites said with a smirk, nudging Odysseus, whose sword still hung tensely in his grip.

Before you could comment, you felt a soft tap against your leg. You jumped back instinctively, your heart skipping a beat, but the momentary panic gave way to relief when you looked down.

It was the fuzzy critters—small, wide-eyed, and undeniably strange, yet somehow endearing. They were holding as many fruits as their tiny paws could manage, the glowing produce piled precariously in their little arms.

One of them tilted its head up at you, its bright eyes sparkling as it chirped, "Here you go!" It extended its bundle of fruit toward you, wobbling slightly under the weight.

You crouched down, hesitating for a moment, then carefully took the fruit from its tiny paws. Its warmth and slight glow reminded you of fireflies on summer nights back in Ithaca. "Uh... thank you," you said, unsure if it understood you but hoping the gratitude came through.

"Welcome" It responded and smiled as if it was proud of itself.

Another critter shuffled forward, offering its own collection of fruit. Soon, they were all crowding around, chirping softly and depositing glowing fruit into your hands like an offering.

Polites crouched down beside you, his grin wide. "Well, would you look at that? Guess they're not so bad after all, huh?" He plucked a fruit from the pile, turning it over in his hands.

Odysseus remained tense, his sword still raised slightly. "Or they're trying to fatten us up for something worse," he muttered, though the edge in his voice was softer now.

You gave him a pointed look. "Ody, not everything in this world is out to kill us. Sometimes, a gift is just a gift."

One of the critters tugged lightly on Odysseus's tunic, holding up a single glowing fruit with tiny, insistent paws. It chirped, "Friend!"

For a moment, Odysseus stared at it, his expression unreadable. Then, with a sigh that bordered on exasperation, he lowered his sword and took the fruit gingerly from its hands. "Fine. Friend," he said, the word sounding both amused and resigned.

You smiled, holding one of the fruits up to examine it more closely. Despite everything you'd faced so far, this moment felt oddly comforting—a small, unexpected kindness in a world that had offered little of it lately.

"See? Life isn't so bad when you give it a chance," Polites said, gesturing to the glowing fruit in his hand. "Whatever comes our way, we'll get through it—just like always. It's not about where we are; it's about what we do with it. And maybe... just maybe... it starts with letting our guard down once in a while."

Odysseus didn't respond immediately. Instead, he studied the fruit in his hand, turning it over before tearing it in half. The glow from the inside was brighter now, revealing seeds that shimmered faintly, like tiny embers.

His jaw tightened. He knew this fruit.

It hit him like a blow to the chest: lotus.

His stomach sank as the weight of the realization settled over him. He glanced toward the critters, now scurrying about happily, their strange behavior suddenly making sense. If this fruit was their primary source of sustenance...

"Of course," he muttered under his breath, his voice heavy with both understanding and unease.

You noticed the change in his expression immediately. "Ody? What is it?"

"This isn't just any fruit," he said, holding up the glowing half. "It's lotus."

Polites furrowed his brow. "Lotus?"

Odysseus nodded grimly, casting another glance at the creatures, who were still blissfully unaware of the danger they posed. "The lotus will make you forget everything—your purpose, your will. You'll fall into a haze, one that never really ends. And it'll trap you here, in their world. That's what we'd get with open arms"

You looked down at the fruit now heavy in your hands. "What do we do then?"

Polites' voice cut through the silence, calm but firm. "Lotus-eaters, I'd like to show my friend that true kindness is in courage, not in surrender." He stepped forward, kneeling down once more to meet their gaze with steady eyes. "Could you show us where we might find other food? We cannot eat these. Still, we appreciate your generosity."

The Lotus-eaters' eyes flickered, unsure whether to press further or let go. You could feel the weight of their gaze, a mix of pity and curiosity. Polites' calm demeanor was a stark contrast to the wild beating of your heart.

"Cave," They said again, in perfect unison, their voices filled with a strange, almost childlike eagerness. It was as though your refusal had no weight at all to them.

But one of them, the same one that gave you the first fruit, small and trembling, clung to your leg once more. The creature looked up at you with wide, violet eyes—eyes that seemed to shimmer with a mix of fear and curiosity.

"Scary cave," It whispered, its voice barely a squeak, though the words were clear.

Polites smiled, grateful that he could show his friend that kindness still yielded results. "A cave! You're telling me there's a cave where we can feast? And where exactly do we sail to find this food-filled paradise?"

"East!" The lotus eaters pointed enthusiastically, their arms outstretched toward what you assumed was east. But one of them, still clinging to your leg, pointed in the opposite direction with surprising conviction.

"That way!" it declared, its voice a soft, almost sing-song quality. You opened your mouth, ready to correct it, but something made you pause. It was so earnest, so sure of itself, and a small part of you didn't want to burst its bubble.

For a moment, the little creature simply stared at you, its wide eyes filled with pleading innocence. Then, as if sensing your hesitation, it began to make grabby hands at you, reaching up with adorable urgency. A laugh escaped you before you could stop it.

How could you possibly resist? You reached down, scooping it up despite your better judgment. Its giggle was almost musical, and for a fleeting moment, you forgot about the confusion of their directions.

"Thank you"

"Welcome!"

Polites placed a hand on Odysseus's shoulder, his grin speaking volumes. It was a playful 'see?' that he couldn't ignore. He looked amused but also exasperated, clearly not prepared for the teasing that had taken place within a few hours with the two of you.

"'Greet the world with open arms...'" he muttered, echoing Polites' earlier words. Maybe the philosophy wasn't so far off after all.

His musings were abruptly interrupted by the familiar sensation of his mind being pulled away from his body—a sensation he had grown far too accustomed to, thanks to a certain goddess.

Polites raised an eyebrow, watching Odysseus expectantly, waiting for him to respond, but all he got in return was silence. Odysseus was staring off into the distance, his gaze blank and distant.

"He's doing it again," Polites muttered, giving your arm a friendly pat. His gesture was meant to break your attention from the little critters that were now surrounding you, their tiny hands offering little flowers.

You waved him off, a faint smile playing on your lips. "It'll pass."

Polites glanced over at the creatures with a playful look in his eyes. "Should we take one of them to help us find the cave?"

You held up the lotus-eater in your hands, its soft, dewy eyes gazing up at Polites with a shy, almost innocent smile. "I say we take this one," you said, offering it to him as though it were some kind of precious trinket.

"What are we taking?" Odysseus's voice broke the stillness, and he seemed to have snapped back to the present.

"This little guy will guide us to the cave," you replied, now showing the lotus-eater to your brother. The creature smiled up at him, completely unaware of the skepticism in Odysseus's eyes.

"...That one?" Odysseus raised an eyebrow, looking around at the other lotus-eaters nearby. Many seemed just as eager, if not more so. The one you were holding, however, didn't exactly strike him as the sharpest tool in the shed.

"We're taking this one." you said firmly, not bothering to look at Odysseus as you cradled the little creature in your arms.

[specialagentartemis]

TBH i think grimdark is just an inadequate term that folds together actual literary critique with individual aesthetic preferences and lobs the whole mess at any piece of fiction with a bleak and/or cynical tone. whatever use it ever had in critiquing the self-conscious grittiness of fiction that's mostly concerned with appearing 'grown up' is eclipsed by the fact that it's poorly defined at best and nonsensical at worst

same deal with hopepunk. it seems to cover everything from 'upbeat feelgood fluff' to 'literally any speculative fiction that isn't utterly bleak'

(also in my opinion ASOIAF is best understood in its original context as a critical response to the heroic fantasy of the 80s and early 90s, but alas that context has mostly been lost)

Yeah for sure. I genuinely keep asking people to tell me what books they consider grimdark because people have different ideas of What That Means!

And yeah that’s definitely true about ASOIAF. I remember once I was at a virtual con (pandemic lockdown lyfe) and we were talking about A Song of Ice and Fire and I said something to the effect of “ASOIAF has the setup it does because Martin was making a point: the theme that keeps coming across is that you can be a good person or a good leader, but not both” and a lot of other people in the conversation got upset and started naming counterexamples like “What about Aragorn? What about [various heroic fantasy kings of 80s and 90s fantasy]?” And I was like. That is the Point. Those guys are exactly who GRRM was disagreeing with. And you don’t have to AGREE with his thesis, you can disagree, that’s fine, but he sure was making a deliberate thematic argument with his thesis and the fact that you have all these counterexamples from fantasy is The Point, it’s what he was responding to!

[sanjisboyfie]

one piece smau: vacation edition

— strawhats being a cute friend group once again

— male reader, everyone having the tiniest crush on him too but thats only if u swuint (im a very selfindulgent writer sorry)

— also i imagine robin, franky and brook to be older than the rest of hte crew, but not like crazy older. its probably not really relevant, but like mid twenties insead of their thirties and forties LMFAOA the rest of the crew is young twenties

liked by ._.[name], princesanji, and 10k others

dni_nami: pre-7hr flight question, how long until we all start killing each other? everyone place your bets

tagged: ._.[name], freeluffy, and princesanji

uso_pp: we barely made it through the airport without losing luffy, so i'm placing my bet on one hour.

[liked by ._.[name], roro.zoro, and 20 others]

-> dr.law: i'm surprised you even made it through airport security....

-> freeluffy: TOORRAOO YOU SHOULD'VE COME IT WOULDVE BEEN SO FUNNNN!!!

-> dr.law: hard pass. good luck everyone else.

._.[name]: i think it's gonna be fine !!! what's the worst that can happen tbh

-> dni_nami: i could list 100 reasons why this is gonna go bad and all of them involve luffy.

-> robinkills: [name]'s right, i think this trip is going to be very fun !

liked by roro.zoro, robinkills, and 11k others

freeluffy: [name] rented bikes for us, but he won't let me drive :/

tagged: ._.[name]

SUPERCOLA: good job [name] for saving his life, much appreciated

dni_nami: i'm begging you two to not crash and make the expenses of our trip go up even more

-> princesanji: always thinking logically, nami, this is why i love you so much <333333333333333

roro.zoro: pick up some sake otw back

-> ._.[name]: yesyesyes we all know thats the only reason why you came anyway, i'll pick some up

-> roro.zoro: what. no way. i definitely wanted to be sat on a hours long flight next to luffy and be living in a small apartment with all of my friends who dont know how to speak quietly and wont let me sleep even when its already early morning. what. i am so excited to be here.

-> uso_pp: alright we get it please stop

liked by princesanji, SUPERCOLA, and 8k others

robinkills: thank you [name] for winning me the prizes :)

tagged: ._.[name]

._.[name]: anything for you robin <3 aka the person thats keeping all of us sane right now <3

princesanji: HOW DARE THIS BAFFOON STEAL YOU AWAY ROBIN PLEASE LET ME TAKE CARE OF HIM, I WILL MAKE SURE HE NEVER BOTHERS YOU AGAIN

-> uso_pp: when is sanji going to accept the fact that [name] is actually apart of this friend group and that he is also more favored by the women we interact with

-> ._.[name]: dw usopp he only puts on a hard front, he ltr begged me to room with him so he could cuddle w me at night. he's just being shy rn

[liked by dni_nami, roro.zoro, and 40 others]

freeluffy: [NAME] [NAME] DID YOU GET ME THEONE I WANTED TOO??!?!?! REMEMBER I SHOWED YOU

-> ._.[name]: yes luffy :) we are otw back and i have the one you asked for as well.

-> SUPERCOLA: [name] the absolute goat in dealing with luffy and his absurd requests so the rest of us dont have to

liked by freeluffy, roro.zoro, ._.[name], and 9k others

uso_pp: morning debrief where we all share embarrassing stories, like how [name] almost stripped completely naked drunk last night because an ice spice song was playing on the karaoke.

._.[name]: alright genuinely why the fuck did that have to be the caption you put on the internet for the whole world to see

-> roro.zoro: no dont be embarassed [name] it was funny watching you try and copy her signature pose

[liked by dni_nami, robinkills, and 90 others]

-> dni_nami: don't think about even crossing me in the future, i have a video of the whole thing bby

-> ._.[name]: GOD FORBID A GUY HAS FUN

skullnsoul: i found [name]'s dancing and singing quite endearing

-> ._.[name]: thank you brook :') you're so sweet

-> skullnsoul: yes, although i feel like you're much too old to be wearing underwear with hearts as the print, [name]. i suggest buying new pairs of boxers :)

-> ._.[name]: what the actual fuck

liked by princesanji, uso_pp, and 11k others

dni_nami: i really wish you could hear sanji cursing [name] outin this photo

tagged: princesanji and ._.[name]

._.[name]: me when im literally following the instructions that hes telling me and i somehow still get yelled at

-> princesanji: do you even understand hwo cooking meat works? everyone would have gotten salmonella and food poisoning if i didn't teach you how

->._.[name]: yelling is never the answer sanji

-> freeluffy: I THINK [NAME]'S COOKING TASTED REALLY GOOD

uso_pp: they acc cookeedddd tho like our food was so tastyyy

[liked by princesanji, ._.[name], and 9 others]

robinklills: sanji almost shoved [name]'s head into the griller, it was funny

-> ._.[name]: HE WHAT ??!?!?! I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT HE TRIED DOING THA TWHAT THE FUCK

liked by princesanji, ._.[name], and 12k others

roro.zoro: [name] told me to post this photo he took.

tagged: princesanji and ._.[name]

dni_nami: awww look all the boys finally getting along

[liked by robinkills, uso_pp, vivi, and 50 others]

-> princesanji: i would have much rather been in your presence my queen, i love you so much

-> ._.[name]: sanjii give up the bit for fucks sake

uso_pp: where was me and luffy's inv ??? ig its like that now ....

-> roro.zoro: you guys were playing mermaids in the pool at the apartment and explicitly told us to not interfere with your serious business

-> princesanji: and then you started getting mad at us for invitig you again right before we left

._.[name]: damn zoro u lookin mad fine in this photo shiiiitttt #smash

-> roro.zoro: i need you to make sure your door is locked later tn or else i cant promise you will wake up the next day

liked by dni_nami, vivi, roro.zoro, and 12k others

._.[name]: thank u nami for the photos

tagged: dni_nami

._.[name]: btw nami made me post this w that caption so it could "scare away the hoes"

-> dni_nami: im doing them a favor, they just dont know it yet cuz ur fucking insane

-> uso_pp: LMFAOAO

purrrona: can i bite it?

-> ._.[name]: BITE WHAT?????

-> purrrona: so is that a yes or a no?

-> uso_pp: professional dick rider alert !!!!

roro.zoro: why is your thirst trap the first thing i have to see when i open this app

-> ._.[name]: why are you acting like you weren't the first person to like this post???

[liked by dni_nami, robinkills, and 57 others]

portgasace: WHY THE FUCK WAS I NOT INVITED ON THIS TRIP?????

dr.law: id also like to thank nami for the photos

[legallybrunettedotcom]

sorry to scrutinise your opinion, but could you explain what makes zodiac better than other fincher films? i know it's one of his most popular, and a lot of people love it, but i consider it one of his worst. i even liked the killer more.

feel free to ignore, i'm just genuinely curious! i want to know what i'm missing :(

it's the best true crime movie ever made tbh, as well as one of the best thrillers ever made. a thriller with not that much blood, no shoot-outs, no heroics, no catharsis because real story of zodiac didn't offer one. fincher likes fucking with the audience and he loves that he gave so much information and intensity in zodiac only to leave us hanging, it all stretches to infinity and contributes to our anxiety. i think it's his only movie that doesn't have an ending. it's a filmmaking masterclass, combining his technical knowledge, ability to create a gripping story and the tastiest tension ever. it's a long and slow movie and yet not a single moment is wasted. if we compare zodiac to seven, another fincher serial killer movie, seven is a perfectly crafted thriller, but dare i say not as cerebral as zodiac is.

it's ultimately a deeply unsatisfying story that deals with "boring" parts like research and investigation. he could've easily gone down the route of here is some evidence, some car chases, a few shots fired, there is our guy, let's catch him and put him in jail, but he didn't. i remember reading a review saying "political message of this movie is often overlooked which is that it champions due process over vigilante justice". but it also shows his disdain for bureaucracy.

jake gyllenhaal's character could've easily been our hero, but instead he lost everything, he literally ruined his life and i love that. it's a masterful depiction of obsession. most of his movies i think have obsession at its core. i don't think anyone depicts research better than fincher. his perfectionism and dedication to detail are at its peak here. it's a movie about david fincher. it's a personal story, he lived through this time period, so not only is the movie showcasing his obsessive tendencies, but it's also a childhood memory, a loss of innocence. i've caught bits and pieces of him talking about his parents over time and they're kinda funny bc his parents were always like "here is how things are, the world sucks ass sorry :/"

it's a serial killer movie where it's not really about the serial killer. like i can't say i personally cared who the zodiac is, i know the real life story, it wasn't about that, i cared about the journey. i like feeling like i was stuck in that dusty basement, archive, maniacally going through all that evidence and files and whatnot, just slumped over it, back hurts, eyes blurry, i'm tired but i'm so unwilling to give in to my bodily needs because the obsession just feels so good.

the atmosphere in the movie is just so delicious. it's unsettling and terrifying. zodiac has one of the best horror scenes in a non-horror movie ever (the basement scene). we only see a few crimes committed which are brutal and shocking and we're yanked out of the comfort of our homes, but the horror is also in the lack of depiction of those other crimes. zodiac is shown as just a regular guy who woke up and decided to kill. the way camera is positioned puts us right in the middle of this horrifying experience, of what it was like for the victims, we aren't watching from a distance. it's not an exploitative true crime movie.

also i just love his stylistic choices. his movies are both sterile and rich. there are so many details in zodiac that make me giddy, like that birds eye view of a taxi or the way he's showing time passing with that skyscraper being built. also that scene of arthur leigh allen being interrogated at his workplace is just a great showcasing of the craft that is directing.

i haven't rewatched the killer since it was released, it didn't stick with me, but i'll have to do it soon to see what i think now. it is interesting to compare these two, where in the killer he is making fun of himself, his obsessive tendencies, and the zodiac where he is at his most obsessive. i don't think i can change your mind with just this, sharing what i love about zodiac. i find his movies deeply relatable which is funny considering he is accused of being a cold filmmaker who leaves all the emotional bits on the cutting floor, but i fear i'm too much like jake gyllenhaal's character to not love this movie.

[bearfools]

a few things i think people should know.

not directed at anyone in particular, but ive received multiple messages (some deleted, some not) from people and i think ill make a post about some stuff i wanna clear up as a therian.

i am aware that im bodily human, im aware that this will not change.

i am aware that acting wild (or as someone said, "gross" and "ill mannered") does not make me an animal

no, i am not a little kid discovering new terms on the internet and using them for clout. i am an 18 year old man who had been questioning therianthropy for a very long time

no, i am not offended by people saying silly hateful things, ive seen about every basic piece of therian hate (directed at me and also other people) and none of it bothers me

no, i am not in any way attracted to animals and i do not partake in any kind of animal abuse. its weird that people assume that right after saying "youre human!!" like am i a beast or not make up your mind lmao?

no, i dont mind if you ask "silly" questions, in a community as misunderstood as therians/alterhumans i am always happy to help people understand

yes, i believe in past lives. though i do not believe theyre fully to blame for my therianthropy and i dont think every kintype of mine has a detailed backstory. i was likely many animals before i was human and i dont kin anything but bears

i had like one person ask if this was a religious thing, its not, idk how common of a misconception that is but i wanted to put it out there. im not outwardly religious, im agnostic but unbothered by any other beliefs

yes, im aware that animals live outside in the cold with diseases and predators, i am grateful for the things i am given that wild animals are not.

no, you cant hunt me (and also, what the hell? again, if youre arguing that im human then why would you hunt me?)

"how do you know your beliefs are real?" i dont. im simply a person on this earth, same as you, i dont know what lies after death, i dont know what lies before birth, but i prefer my "weird" beliefs over never believing in anything.

after i made that post about young therians (thank you all for the love by the way!) i had a few comments along the lines of "messy eating is human/making faces and acting like an animal doesnt make you an animal" i know, i know that im not a bear, i know that what i do is not limited to therians. I know kids play as animals all the time! but at the end of the day i'm happy. are you? does leaving spiteful messages make you happy?

do you send a comment on tumblr and stare at your reflection in the screen and feel fulfilled? im asking genuinely, because if it doesnt make you happy, then why do it? it doesnt affect me, worst case scenario im annoyed and then dont interact. Do you think that ill hear you say "youre not a bear" and then go "oh my bad" and delete my account? as if i havent been told those exact words my whole life (even before i knew what the internet was!)

[dr-spectre]

Being a Callie fan is god awful bro. Do NOT become obsessed with this squid woman.

Look at this piece of shit. This silly little bastard. Root of all my mental issues.

Nintendo gives her the worst amiibo gear humanely possible, they fucked up her story arc in Splatoon 2 which caused weird and gross misconceptions to spread like WILDFIRE! She was treated like a punching bag by the community via fan comics and such between the years of 2017 to 2019 due to how they handled her arc. Boiling her down to some dumb idiot.

They don't acknowledge past events for her and Marie in ROTM but Off the Hook can make call backs to Octo Expansion in Side Order because.... why not. It took until the LAST catalogue to get a Squid Sisters emote!!!!

I mean seriously, it just sucks to be a Callie fan. I wish I was a hardcore Frye fan at this point!

I WANNA BE HAPPY!!!

After all of my insane in-depth analyses of Hypno Callie and having to constantly defend my babygirl from common mischaracterisation, I genuinely cannot see the word "brainwashed" without having a heart attack!!! I'M NOT KIDDING! MY HEART GOES "BZZZTTTT"

If I watch a video about Splatoon 2 AND I SEE THIS FACE, MY BRAIN IS PUT INTO HIGH ALERT!!!

Im thinking "oh god don't say the word... don't do it... please.... I'm gonna get upset.. DONT... Don't say she was kidnapped either!!! ITS A LIE!!! DONT YOU DARE!!!"

And then they mention both things and I get chest pain. It's like someone punches my gut and throws me into a cold bath filled with dry ice and liquid nitrogen.

Guys... just do me a favour okay?

Don't become a Callie fan. Just don't do it!!! Become obsessed with Pearl or Marina or someone else... Please....

It's torture...